


Upon Daybreak

by GoddessofAnubis



Series: Upon Series [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Blood, Child Abuse, Child Death, Death, Gen, Hints of pedophilia, I didn't know ok, Mike bonds with the bots, Somehow, and lives, forgive me for William's name in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-12 06:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4468232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofAnubis/pseuds/GoddessofAnubis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was like any other night, with Mike trying to survive. But when something happens and the bots begin acting differently around him, his usual routine is forever changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Should Be Golden

**Author's Note:**

> So I put this on fanfic.net and it was a pretty big hit? Apparently?? So I decided to upload it here too.

xxxxx

  "Shitshitshit...I'm so fucked."

  Mike felt his hands twitching, wanting so badly to move. To pick up his tablet and look at the cameras or to check the door lights. Something. But the red light on said tablet was blinking, showing how little power he had left; twenty percent. And it was five. He was never going to make it another hour.

  It was Friday night, so everyone was out. Freddy was laughing near the bathrooms, he could hear the clanking of pots and pans from Chica messing around in the kitchens, and last he checked, Bonnie was walking the east hall. He had been only checking on Foxy, which was reckless, but even that hadn't helped him. Tonight just might be his last...

  _'Should I find a place to hide? It's better than just sitting here, waiting to die...'_ He thought as his trembling fingers picked up the tablet. He nearly sobbed when he saw the curtains open, scrambling to shut the door as he hear Foxy's loud, clackering footsteps running towards him.

  "Dammit, fuck off!" Mike snarled through the door as he heard the animatronic pounding on the metal.

  He waited, making sure that Foxy was gone before opening the door. He heaved a sigh, rubbing his face and wiping away sweat. He should really check the cameras again because sometimes the damn pirate would rush him immediately but what was the point? It wasn't even five thirty. He was dead. After all his hard work, of keeping this stupid job for what? This was his sixth week? None of it mattered.

  **_Bang._**

  Mike jumped. That wasn't a noise he was familiar with...confused, he waited on bated breath. Usually the place was dead quiet, but he heard...something. He grabbed the tablet, wondering if the animatronics were playing a new trick on him to lower his defenses. But he flicked through the cameras and found...a person?

  They were wearing a dark hoodie, making their face impossible to see. The door to the pizzeria was open, and crooked, like the person had smashed it open and broke a hinge. They were carrying something in their hand. Mike was at a loss. Despite this being...well, his job, he had no idea what to do with an actual robbery. It seemed laughable with four killer robots wandering the place.

  As usual, the camera cut to black and static before suddenly the animatronics were in the room. Mike felt sick. Was he going to sit here and watch this guy die? Despite knowing he had no chance...he only hesitated briefly before running out the door and down the hall to the stage.

  To say he was shocked at what he saw was an understatement.

  The unknown man was wielding a long, glowing stick...it took Mike a moment before he recognized it as a electro-rod. He'd seen them on TV, some of the richer city police had them. He'd also seen the effect they had when they met with human skin so he was weary about going any closer. But the man was waving it around frantically, looking between the still animatronics.

  "New security guard are ya??" The man looked at him, face still unseen but the shadows made him look feral. "First day? They warn you about these fucking monsters?!"

  He knew? Mike felt a cold weight in his stomach. Who would come back here at night, knowing what was waiting? The man must be insane...how he knew didn't even cross his mind. But the man decided he wasn't important anymore and turned back to the unmoving robots.

  "Remember me? Huh, you piece of _shit_? Remember what you did to me?!" He neared them and Mike considered running for the entrance. He'd call the cops, let them know someone broke in...maybe management would cover why his body was mangled up and stuffed in a suit? "I gave the owner a week to close this place. But it seems like I gotta take care of it."

  The brown haired guard expected to watch the man be torn into pieces. Maybe the animatronics would move too fast for his eyes to follow? But as the man ran at the animatronics, the glowing rod flaring up a bright blue, Freddy's head tilted tauntingly. And with a shriek, Foxy burst into the room and lunged at the man.

  Mike gasped. His heart felt like it'd break through his ribcage; he was far, far too close to Foxy. He backed away, eyes wide, legs ready to take off to the door. He'd definitely quit today, he decided. He'd go home, call his mother, maybe she'd let him move back in, and he'd find a new job. Something that didn't have a disclaimer about mutilation.

  He froze when the rod swung and hit Foxy in the face. The shrill noise, like a static scream, ripped through the room. Foxy twitched as electricity surged through his servos and wires, falling into a heap on the floor. He didn't move. And despite himself, Mike worried, thinking he'd be to blame in the morning.

  "Ha....hahaha.....haaahahahaha! It works!" The man screamed and turned back to the others.

  They had finally moved from their default positions. The three had been watching Foxy, but when he fell, Freddy made to walk to him. Mike was amazed to see their expressions change, something akin to worry...were they all friends? The thought was too human. But Freddy kept staring at where Foxy lay, the pirate making pitiful noises and twitching as he tried to move. And Chica was shaking, in fear or anger, as she watched the man.

  "I'm going to dismantle you all...I'll tear you apart piece by piece! And if there's anything left of you brats inside then I'll tear that apart too!"

  He waved the rod around. It was spitting sparks and electricity. Mike felt frozen as he watched Bonnie's hands clench and he stepped in front of Freddy and Chica, trying to protect them. Foxy kept trying to move, dragging his body by his hook digging into the carpet. The security guard felt like his mind was on replay; he couldn't think straight. And with a trembling hand, he reached for a nearby table, hand finding a party hat, a napkin, and then-

  He clenched the glass soda bottle. It was sticky, likely someone cleaning up had accidentally left it there. But it was the only thing he had, and with his hands shaking violently, he ran forward as the man's back was to him and slammed it over his head.

  It shattered. He felt blood dripping down his hand as pieces of glass embedded themselves into his skin. The man fell limp, and Mike kicked the rod aside. Without someone holding the handle, it turned off. He panted. He'd never attacked someone before...It left him feeling shaky and sick. His stomach clenched.

  And then he realized he'd just protected robots that had been actively trying to kill him.

  Silence. It felt like time had stopped. Daring to break it, Mike glanced over at where the three robots were standing. They stared back. Swallowing roughly, the guard turned back to the prone form on the ground. There was some blood from where the bottle shattered on his head, but nothing major. He looked around, trying to find something to tie him up with.

  There was some rope near the stage. Maybe it was stupidity guiding him, but he didn't care if the animatronics killed him. He was going to die no matter what at this point. His back was to them, he was out in the open, and any second now the power would go out. But he still grabbed the rope and tied the man's hands together.

  When he looked up, he was surprised to see the main three hovering over Foxy. Chica tried to pull him to his feet, but he screeched in response, making her stop. He seemed completely locked up. Frowning, Mike grabbed the electro-rod and looked it over. He didn't know anything about electronics or wires, but since Foxy had so many exposed parts...maybe it affected him worst?

  Sighing, he threw it in the trash. The noise was louder than he expected and he tensed, glancing nervously again at the animatronics. He stiffened when he saw Bonnie watching him. The purple bunny eyed him before glancing back at Foxy, then at Mike. He stepped forward, and Mike took one back. He doubted they cared what he did; he was human, and he was either a naked exoskeleton or they just wanted to squash him.

  "Why?"

  Mike frowned. Bonnie's mouth moved...and yet there were words. Wait. Could they actually talk? He scrambled back when Bonnie kept coming closer, backing into a table. He was trapped.

  "Why did you help us?"

  This time, the voice was softer, girlie, with some kind of accent. His heart began beating far too quickly. Chica had spoken to him. They could talk. He suddenly regretted all the things he screamed at them through the doors.

  "I...I, well..." He stammered, trying to get his brain to work. He couldn't believe he wasn't dead yet. "I couldn't just...stand there."

  There was a pause. Both Chica and Bonnie looked over at Freddy. "...Then I must request your help."

  Mike stared. Freddy's voice was deep, almost gentle. He guessed it fit for the kids they entertained...but having him looking at him like that, he felt that he didn't have a choice in accepting his 'request'.

  "I, I'll do what I can?"

  There was another pause. It seemed that they were considering if they could really trust him. He was amazed to even be in this situation; the killer robots that haunted him for weeks were having an actual discussion with him.

  "The electricity was too much for Foxy's mainframe. I ask that you would help him." Freddy said.

  The guard looked down at Foxy. The red fox was still twitching and spazzing on the floor. And yet his yellow eyes watched Mike closely, like he was still hunting him. Nervously, the human looked between him and Freddy, not sure if he should help them further.

  "I, well...what would I need to do?" He asked.

  He yelped when Bonnie reached up and removed his own face. Two red lights stared back at him, _blinking_ , and the purple paws pointed to a place where his forehead would be. There was some kind of wiring...and a switch? No, not even that. A small numbered button.

  _"Push. Reset."_

  A warped, garbled version of Bonnie's voice croaked out. Mike felt himself shaking. He had to reach inside Foxy's mouth and...push a button to reset him? But if it reset him...maybe it could turn him off? He swallowed. He could basically kill the fox that made his life hell. He was dead after he helped him anyway, so he could save the guards that would come after him.

  He gave a jerky nod. That seemed enough for them. Bonnie put his face back on and Chica moved aside to give Mike room. Hesitating, he kneeled next to Foxy on the ground, knowing it'd take less than a second for the pirate to disembowel him. Freddy was suddenly behind him, looming over him to watch.

  "Foxy will not hurt you."

  That wasn't reassuring. And yet Mike nodded, reaching forward. He jumped when Foxy opened his broken jaw as much as he could. The hinges were rusted and shattered. As he moved his hand, he felt the wires and metal beams around the exoskeleton's skull. His fingers ran over the metal, looking for the button. His entire elbow was inside his mouth. If Foxy bit down, he'd lose his arm.

  The button gave him some resistance. Likely rust. But he pressed hard, and froze when Foxy gave a jerk, his eyes going dark before lighting up again, the LED lighting blinding him. Not sure what to do, Mike began pulling his arm out. He didn't move as Foxy got to his feet.

  He'd really done it. He helped them again. He could've permanently turned Foxy off, saving his predecessors. And yet he couldn't. It was so stupid of him; they were machines. It didn't matter if they could talk, they had tried to kill him, had killed many before him. Had killed the man on the phone, the only one that had tried to warn and help him.

  But if they were sentient...he couldn't imagine the pain they'd be in from being electrocuted. The idea made him feel ill. All this had done was extend his life by a few moments.

  Mike wasn't ashamed to admit he screamed when Foxy's hook pierced his shirt, yanking him forward. "Ye be a foolish boy. Does death not frighten ye, ya cur?"

  Oh right. Of course he spoke like a pirate. "I'm dead no matter what, right? Either of you came to the door again and I'd run out of power."

  The hook's point was dangerously close to his skin. He bit back a whimper as he was pulled off his feet. Foxy was far taller than him, all the animatronics loomed over him. He turned his head away when the fox eyed him closely.

  "Release the human, Foxy." Freddy said.

  Foxy gave a huff, shaking his hook from Mike's shirt. The guard fell on his ass, hesitating before he got to his feet. His hands trembled as he dusted himself off. All the tense, stifling air seemed...gone. Chica was bouncing on her feet, overcome to see that her companion was okay.

  Freddy looked him over again before turning to the others. "Get to your places. The morning crew will be in soon."

  What? Mike looked around for a clock. Six fifteen. He gaped, realizing that he was still alive. And yet his stomach was doing summersaults; the animatronics could move past six. How had he lasted until now?

  Chica waved to him happily as she got on to the stage. Mike numbly waved back. Bonnie followed after her. Foxy gave him a look and the guard watched him leave for Pirate's Cove. He swallowed nervously as Freddy didn't move.

  "I must admit, you've surprised me. No one human has lasted this long here...and yet, once we were distracted, you decided to help us rather than run away and save yourself." Freddy smiled, and Mike decided he was far more horrifying when he smiled. "The others are under my protection and yet I had to rely on a human to help them...what is your name?"

  "Mike...uh, Mike Schmidt." He answered softly.

  He tensed when Freddy walked forward. The bear was likely over two feet taller than him. "Mike Schmidt, I will remember this."

  Was that good? Bad? Mike had no idea if that was a threat or not. But he nodded, just glad when Freddy turned and got up on stage. He instantly went into sleep mode like the rest of them.

  He lived. And more than that, he'd stopped some maniac from breaking in and destroying the animatronics. He didn't know if that was a good thing, but as he called the police and greeted the morning crew, he decided he didn't care.

  It was something to worry about at midnight.


	2. These Masks We Wear

  To say Mike slept like shit was an understatement.

  While he did indeed call his mother like he promised, he didn't quit. He knew he should, but after last night he wasn't so sure. A part of him was too curious. He wanted to see if things were different now that he knew the robots could talk and were apparently sentient. It was stupid; likely nothing had changed and he was risking his life for nothing. But things _felt_ different.

  He woke up to his phone going off. Groaning, Mike went to turn his alarm off before realizing it wasn't the alarm. He frowned. No one called him besides his mother and he'd just talked to her earlier. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at it and realized it was work.

  "Hello?" He asked, trying to sound awake.

  "Mr. Schmidt! I meant to call earlier, but we just got things settled here." Mike almost sighed. His boss, Mr. Lansdale...he was a twig-like man with bleach blond hair and tiny eyes. He was also irritating and cheap as hell. "I couldn't believe when I heard! I have to admit I was impressed with you, Mr. Schmidt. I never heard of anyone handling an _armed_ robber and having him all tied up for the police!"

  Oh right. That. "Not a problem. It's my job ain't it?"

  "O-of course..." Mr. Lansdale cleared his throat, trying to pretend it wasn't because Mike was watching killer robots. "Still, I have to thank you Mr. Schmidt. The police found the electro-rod and that man wanted to destroy the animatronics. I can't even begin to think what we would've done if he had succeeded."

  "Repaired them?" Mike offered dryly.

  He heard the other shake his head. "Too expensive! Besides, the one that built them is long gone. We lost contact with him years ago...a shame too." There a pause, like Mr. Lansdale was considering the loss. "Anyway, I wanted to personally thank you. Good luck tonight."

  _Click._

  Mike scowled. That bastard had hung up on him. Sighing, he got up to begin his routine of getting ready for work. He had an extra twenty minutes but there was no way he could rest. While eating dinner, he paused briefly to wonder who the man that broke in was...but then he sighed and shook his head. He'd likely find out on the news when he got home at six.

xxxxxxx--------

  As usual, the place was empty when he arrived. The cleaning crew was always long gone before he showed up for his shift. He let himself in and made his way to his office, pausing when he noticed a present on his desk. Confused, he sat down and opened it, smiling when he saw it was a thank you card, with a voucher to a nearby restaurant. It was signed by the owner and a few managers.

  Then again...if his boss said they wouldn't repair the animatronics, then he guessed he just saved everyone's jobs. The thought made his chest warm. He made sure to promise to himself that he'd live tonight and go eat at this place. He just needed to get through tonight, and enjoy his Sunday off.

  The clock hit midnight and with a sigh, Mike grabbed the tablet.

  And nearly fell off his chair when he saw the stage _empty_.

  "Are you shitting me?!"

  He turned off the tablet and turned his door lights on. He didn't feel much better when neither Bonnie or Chica's faces were there. He'd done Saturday nights a few times already but he'd never had them leave so early. He fought the urge to look for them and checked Pirate's Cove. He sighed in relief when he saw the closed curtain.

  "Okay, then where..."

  He shouldn't look. He couldn't waste battery, especially on Saturday. He sighed. He just needed to continue like any other night. It was silly of him to expect anything else. He began his routine of checking the lights and Pirate's Cove and settled in for the night.

xxxxxxx

  Mike was a nervous wreck.

  Nothing had happened. It was the sixth night, at 3am, and _nothing had happened._ No Bonnie or Chica at his doors, no sounds of Freddy, no Foxy peeking out, and no singing...Something was wrong. He had no idea what. A part of him wanted to go out there and see, but that was stupid and would get him killed.

  He was currently flicking through the cameras, trying to find _anyone_. They weren't anywhere. He couldn't hear anything in the kitchen either. He sighed, slumping against his seat. What the fuck was going on??

  "Mr. Schmidt."

  Mike screamed, falling out of his chair. He scrambled back, against the wall, as Freddy loomed over him. He gaped. How...? He'd looked for Freddy everywhere! How had he snuck inside the room?

  "There's no need for that. I am not here to kill you." Freddy said.

  The guard hesitated. He looked around, seeing only Freddy before getting to his feet. He stumbled, his legs refusing to work, and a large metal hand (paw?) grabbed the back of his shirt to lift him up. Once he was up, Mike backed up to get some space between them.

  "What do you mean?"

  Freddy chuckled almost condescendingly. "Just as I said, Mr. Schmidt. I won't kill you, since I didn't follow the rules."

  Rules? There were _rules_? Glad to know them all killing him was a pleasant game to them. "Just Mike is fine..."

  The animatronic went on like he hadn't spoken. "What you did the other night has made us all reconsider our usual business. So, tell me then, Mr. Schmidt...you said you couldn't just stand there. You'd rather help us, the ones that have hunted you and stalked you for weeks. Why?"

  Mike had a feeling that there was a lot riding on this answer. If he fucked up, then it might not matter that Freddy hadn't followed the rules, he'd kill him anyway. He swallowed. "When Foxy started twitching, I just wondered...how much that must hurt. But when I found out you all talked, I worried maybe you were sentient and were in pain."

  "And yet you didn't know that at the time." The bear pointed out.

  "No, but...I mean, it was some crazy guy throwing around a weapon and threatening to destroy you guys."

  "So you were worried about your job."

  Mike stiffened. "No! I guess somewhat but I just..."

  He tried to understand it himself. But he was on a time crunch, with Freddy eyeing him. He wasn't going to wait forever. But the bear gave a very horrifying smile and Mike cringed away instinctively.

  "I see." He did? How? "Do you trust me, Mr. Schmidt?"

  "No." Mike answered immediately.

  He shuddered when Freddy laughed; eyes burning to black with only white pinpricks looking at him. "Good, very smart of you."

  The guard waited for something else. For Freddy to explain why he had asked such a question. But nothing came, and he sighed, not sure what to say. He just wanted the weird eyes to go away.

  "So what happens now?" He asked.

  Freddy turned, heading for the door. "Well, that's up to _them_ , Mr. Schmidt."

  And he left. Mike stared after him, confused as hell. Sighing, he sat down into his chair. What was going on? He picked up the tablet, seeing no one still. He really hoped that the animatronics got back into their places at six or he was in a lot of trouble...

xxxxxxxx

  Monday, he felt prepared. When he sat down and saw no one again, he panicked. If it hadn't been for being the first day, he would've ran out of power. He left feeling paranoid.

xxxxxxxx

  On Tuesday, Mike felt like he was going insane. Yesterday had been the same; everyone was missing immediately but he'd never see them all night. And tonight it seemed to be nothing different. He was tempted to get outside the office and look for everyone. He tried to think of what Freddy had said and how what was going on were connected...maybe the others didn't want to come after him anymore?

  "Fuck this..." He muttered, throwing the tablet on to the desk. "I think I prefer being hunted than a normal security job."

  It was nearing 5am now. He sat there, bouncing his leg and looking through cameras. Sometimes he swore a poster would change on him but when he'd go back to check, nothing had happened. He sighed. Maybe he really should go out there. Being chased back would be more exciting.

  As he was about to change to a different camera, he stopped. Something had moved. He frowned, moving closer to see what it had been. He was shocked to see Chica, the yellow chicken near the bathrooms. Usually he'd never see them move, but she was walking down the hall towards the office.

  He suddenly felt like a giant asshole for wishing they'd hunt him again.

  "You can close the doors if you want!" Her girlie voice called down the hall.

  Mike blinked before hitting said button. Chica went to her usual spot at the window, staring at him. Not sure what else to do, since she'd given him a warning and was just...standing there, he waved. She waved back.

  "Freddy said your name is Mikeschmidt?"

  "Uh, it's Mike..." He said. "My last name is Schmidt."

  She gave him an odd look. "Well, that is easier to say...You know you don't have to close the door. I won't come after you."

  Mike raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me if I don't trust that."

  "No really! We had a big talk about it, cuz me and Bonnie were against coming after you anymore. If someone had come in and seen Foxy...they might've sent him to the junkyard." She shuddered. "They don't want to fix him, and Freddy said they're looking for a reason to get rid of him."

  Mike went to disagree before remembering his call with his boss a few days ago. He closed his mouth. Chica must've noticed because she gave him a curious look. He still shook his head. He wasn't opening that door with her there.

  "Ugh...Bonnie, help me convince him!"

  Mike frowned, confused, before he felt something behind him. He tensed. He hadn't been paying attention...what if Chica had been a distraction? Not sure if he should move, Mike swallowed hard before turning around. The huge bunny animatronic was in the room with him, head cocked to the side as he stared at Chica.

  "I think it's this one?"

  Mike jumped back, nearly on his desk, when Bonnie reached over and pushed the door button. The guard could only watch in horror as the door went up and Chica bounced into the now cramped room. He was dead. He let them trick him and he was dead.

  "They need to make this room bigger...See Mike! We aren't going after you!" Chica said.

  "He still thinks we're after him?" Bonnie asked.

  She shrugged. "I guess. He keeps shaking like that."

  Mike jumped when they looked at him, realizing that he was, indeed, trembling. Okay he had to give them credit; he _wasn't_ dead just like they said. But he was in shock. Being this close to them…he never realized that Bonnie was so damn _tall_...

  "I think he's broken." Bonnie said, poking at him.

  "I'm fine! I just, I mean, you've been trying to kill me for weeks. Are you surprised?" Mike said, batting his hand away.

  Of course, hitting something made of metal wasn't very smart. Mike hissed, clutching his hand. Looking worried, Bonnie reached out and grabbed said hand, seeing the redness. Mike tried not to flinch. Being nearly face to face with Bonnie was way too close for him.

  "I forget how fragile humans are..." The bunny said.

  "Did you hurt him?" Chica asked, trying to look.

  "I'm, I'm okay. Really." Mike countered, trying to pull away. He sighed in relief when Bonnie released him. "S-so, um...you're not here to kill me?"

  They both shook their heads. Mike slowly relaxed. He was cornered and yet neither of them had killed him or dragged him off to be stuffed into a suit. He let out a laugh, running a hand through his hair under his hat.

  "Well, then...why did you come to see me?"

  "Freddy said we could finally come! He also said we're not allowed to bug you all night. So we waited till now so we could have until you have to leave." Chica explained happily.

  Mike wasn't sure what to say. He'd always had a feeling Freddy was the leader, since he never left the stage until Wednesday, but it seemed like he was more than just the imposing figurehead. He really was their boss. It seemed odd that they even _needed_ bosses.

  "Do you mind?" Bonnie suddenly asked.

  It was weird for them to ask; they were the ones that could snap his neck. "Not really? I don't want you to get into trouble with Freddy or anything but...well, if you're not going to kill me then it's fine."

  They both seemed relieved to hear that. Chica then elbowed Bonnie, making him give her a dark look. Mike wondered what that was about, but before he could ask, the chicken began heading for the door.

  "Um, what are you doing?" He asked.

  "I was so excited to come see you I forgot your present!" She answered back. "Bonnie's mad because I wouldn't let him bring it."

  She was then gone. A present? Why did he need a present? Mike scratched his head again. This was a really, really weird night.

  "She really wants me to convince you to come with me to see Foxy." Bonnie suddenly said, laughing when Mike paled. "I didn't think you'd want to. But Foxy won't see you, and Chica got mad at him, saying he should at least come say thank you. She wants to give you a gift, but she wants you to see him, so maybe he'll say it anyway."

  "He doesn't need to thank me. He didn't ask for my help..." Mike said.

  He was surprised when Bonnie laughed harder. "That's what Freddy said you'd say."

  Okay now he felt uncomfortable. How did Freddy know him that well? "Oh...um, well then..."

  He let out a loud yelp when Bonnie grabbed him by his shoulders, easily lifting him up and putting him in his seat. He clutched his heart, feeling like he was about to have a heart attack. That was not necessary.

  "I think Foxy would like you more if you didn't wear your uniform."

  The hell? "But everyone wears it." Mike pointed out.

  Bonnie shrugged. "Why do you think Foxy's not in the show anymore?"

  Oh... _oh_. Mike glanced at the phone, remembering what the phone guy had said his first night here. The Bite of '87...had Foxy done it? It explained a lot...and the fox was terrifying enough. Now he was sure he'd never go near Pirate's Cove during his shift.

  "Why does the uniform bother him?" Mike asked.

  The huge robot looked like he wanted to answer but hesitated. And Mike noticed it; the black seeping into his eyes. That probably wasn't good, right? So Mike snapped his fingers near his face, watching Bonnie jump and the blackness disappear.

  "You oka-"

  "I'm back!"

  Chica came into the room, carrying a large, flat box. Had she managed to grab pizza from earlier? But then she set it down and he noticed the steam. She'd even brought him a soda. Curious, Mike opened it and was greeted with freshly made pizza.

  "You can cook?" He asked.

  She nodded. "Of course! Sometimes I make pizza for children. They like it when I make it."

  "Wow...that's pretty amazing."

  "We actually all know how..." Chica went on, looking excited at the praise. "Sometimes for birthdays we get asked to make the pizza and sing for the birthday kid! And they always love it. Freddy's awful at it though."

  "Foxy makes better pizza even with one hand. But he's awful with ovens." Bonnie added.

  Mike snorted before laughing. Well if he ever got too afraid of either of them, he'd just have to remember that they were awful in the kitchen. Wondering if it was really okay to be eating on the job, he took a slice and began eating. He definitely saw how this place stayed in business. This pizza was incredible.

  "Thank you Chica." He said, smiling.

  He took a sip of his soda. He was about to ask if they could eat, being robots, but they both suddenly looked out to the left door. He tensed. Was someone coming? Foxy was the only one that came from that hall besides Bonnie...

  His phone went off. Oh right, his shift was over. He sighed in relief. He put his pizza away and got up, noticing that neither Bonnie or Chica had moved.

  "Are you guys going to go back on stage?" He asked.

  "We'll walk you out!" Chica offered.

  Mike frowned but shrugged. If that's what they wanted. So he left the office and walked down the East Hall with the two following him. He hesitated at the dining room, unable to see Freddy due to the curtain. But he felt uneasy being here, like either he or Foxy were about to rush him.

  "Night night Mike!" Chica said, waving as she got up on stage.

  "We'll see you tomorrow, Mike..." Bonnie added softly. "Can we visit again?"

  The guard chuckled. He'd never thought that any of them would ask for permission to see him. "Sure, if you want."

  The purple bunny smiled at that and got up on stage as well. They both went behind the curtain, leaving Mike alone. He sighed, wondering if this had been all a dream. Shrugging, he headed for the door, wanting to get some sleep and eat his pizza.

  He then paused, his hand on the door handle. That feeling of unease...it was suddenly nauseating. He frowned, not sure if he dared turn around. Swallowing uneasily, he whipped around, eyes wide.

  Nothing.

  And yet...

  He hurried out. He was imaging things. The stress had gotten to him; he'd had a weird night and he needed to sleep it all off. He quickly got into his car, pretending his hands weren't shaking as he drove away.

  He could've sworn he heard a music box...


	3. Can You Hear My Call?

  Mike paused when he was getting dressed, hesitating over putting on his uniform. Bonnie said that Foxy didn't like it...why? And there was no way he was asking again. He knew those black eyes from when they hunted him. They were always more aggressive when that happened. He sighed; no one was there when he was...who would know?

  Muttering to himself, he instead put on jeans and a t-shirt. As he sat down to finish off the last of Chica's pizza, he turned on the TV. He began flicking through channels before pausing and going back. On the news was Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. They were talking about the break in.

  _"-mous pizzeria has decided not to press charges. Luckily for Mr. Fitzgerald, a former guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they released a statement saying that they understand the situation he is in. Mr. Fitzgerald had a near fatal accident when he worked at Freddy's when an animatronic malfunctioned. He has since apologized and paid for any damage he had caused."_

  Mike frowned. An accident? Then again, if this guy knew about the animatronics, then he had been hunted like he was. So of course there were 'near fatal' accidents. He wondered how this guy survived...And the pizza place didn't press charges? That seemed pretty fishy.

  Well, it wasn't any of his business. Mike finished eating and got ready for his shift. He locked up his apartment and headed for his job. If he could, he'd ask his boss about it and see if he got a straight answer. He wanted to ask the animatronics themselves but...well, he was a bit wary about questions still.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

  "Ya both be actin' like lovesick fools, ya be!"

  "Well, if _you_ would get over your pride-"

  Mike paused at the door. He was surprised to see Foxy and Chica arguing in the middle of the dining room. They had plates and party hats in their hands, and when he looked around he spotted Bonnie and Freddy placing said items on the huge tables. They helped around the place? He almost smiled.

  "Mike!" Bonnie greeted loudly, trying to drown them out.

  At the sound of his name, Chica gasped and ran over. Mike almost flinched. He needed to get used to them being around apparently. He saw Foxy scowling at him before Chica was in front of him, doing her little bounce on her feet.

  "Mike, we're setting up for a birthday! And I overheard the suit guy say you were gonna come!"

  "W-what??" Mike gaped. This was news to him... "Um, well I'll see if he left me a note then. He hasn't called-"

  "Here it is!"

  She pulled out a sticky note that she'd apparently attached to her body. Mike chuckled at that. She'd definitely been planning on ambushing him then when he got in. He took the note, seeing that his boss had left it.

  _'Mike,_

_We’re having a large birthday at one. I ask that you come in to help out, since our day staff is a bit shorthanded. I'll give you overtime. Wear your uniform as usual and show up at noon so I can go over your duties. Thanks!_

_-L'_

  Mike sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well then. I guess I’ll see you guys performing."

  "Will you help us set up?" Chica asked happily.

  "Chica." Freddy suddenly cut in. The yellow animatronic jumped, looking scorned. "Mr. Schmidt has his job to do. And we have ours."

  "Not like we get paid..." Bonnie mumbled, wincing when Freddy looked at him.

  "Stop heavin' the work on us, lass!" Foxy added angrily.

  Mike laughed nervously, walking around Chica. "I'll let you guys get ready and I'll get a peek when I leave at six. And once you're finished you can come see me."

  He definitely didn't want to be in the middle of a fight. And he was reeling a bit, seeing them working like this. Were they doing it because Mike now knew about them? He'd never seen them do this before...It was kinda...cute?

  "Aww, okay..." Chica mumbled, going back to setting the tables.

  Seeing that none of them were looking, Mike headed for his office. He sighed in relief; he didn't want to be anywhere near Freddy or Foxy. They made him way too nervous. He got in his seat and grabbed the tablet out of habit. Realizing he didn't need it, he put it back down. He'd rather not lose power over something stupid.

  But that left him with nothing to do. The previous nights, he'd been checking the rooms franticly because none of the animatronics were around. The stress had made the night go by fast. But now, there was no need to check and he had nothing to do until the robots came to see him.

  "I can't believe I'm looking forward to that..." He mumbled. He wondered if his boss would believe him...

  ... _sss m..._

  Mike froze. Was he hearing things? He tried to poke his head out the door, listening closely. It was faint.

_...sss mmm..._

  Was that...a music box? He swore he'd heard it before. He grabbed the tablet, flicking through rooms and trying to hear. It was louder in the Supply Room. Why would they put a music box in there when it clearly worked? Unless it played constantly due to a malfunction...but with this place, it was never that simple.

  Dare he go and see? There was an odd itch in the back of his head, making him twitchy.

_t's m..._

  It was getting louder. Maybe he should ask the others? Not Bonnie, not after last night, but what if Freddy could tell him? The bear could not respond but it was better than sitting here with the noise growing and the itch spreading.

  Sighing, he got up and headed down the West Hall. He grumbled when he nearly tripped over some loose carpeting, cursing as he made sure he didn't fall on his face. Sighing, he went to continue and nearly shrieked when he ran into something.

  "Bonnie wasn't exaggerating when he said you were jumpy..." Freddy mused.

  "I'm getting there..." Mike muttered, sighing and rubbing his nose. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. I had a question..."

  Freddy looked almost surprised, and yet kept that almost sneer-like expression on his face. Mike had a feeling he'd never like him. "Oh? What would that be, Mr. Schmidt?"

  "I keep hearing a music box in the supply room. Any idea what-"

  Mike stiffened when he found a large paw over his mouth. Of course, being Freddy's size, it covered most of his face and was uncomfortably tight. He felt like his jaw was going to be dislocated.

  "It's best you don't talk about such things around them. I can't have you upsetting them you see." Freddy said almost happily. "Now come. Let's see what it is that's bothering you."

  The guard found himself being forcefully moved. He stumbled a few times, trying to tell Freddy to let go, but the bear ignored him. He was all but shoved into the security office. He felt his face, cringing. He hoped that wouldn't bruise.

  "What was that about? You could've just told me to shut it." He grumbled.

  He tensed when Freddy dropped his smile, looking far too serious. "The music box will not bother you again. And you will **not** go looking for it."

  Mike considered arguing, or asking for an explanation. But then he remembered who he was talking to and where he was. He sighed and nodded. "Okay, fine. I just wanted to know because I kept hearing it since I got here..."

  "I knew you were a reasonable man, Mr. Schmidt." Freddy chuckled, slapping his shoulder. Mike cringed; _that_ one was going to bruise. "I must say that I'm rather impressed. Chica and Bonnie have been talking Foxy and my ears off about you."

  Mike raised an eyebrow. He wasn't so sure about that; Chica just seemed friendly in general, when she wasn't coming after him, and Bonnie seemed too soft spoken for that. But then again, what did he know about them?

  "There's not much to talk about with me." He finally said.

  Freddy gave that condescending smile again. "You just sit tight and wait for the others."

  "Uh, okay. Thanks?"

  Mike watched him leave, heading for the Supply Room. Sighing, he sat down in his chair and looked at the tablet, checking up on the dining room. He smiled when he saw the huge banner at the top of the stage, reading 'Happy Birthday Lizzie!' and the party hats and plates. There was no sign of the animatronics though, and when Mike switched to Pirate's Cove, he was surprised to see the open curtain, revealing the fox curled up inside on the floor.

  So then, Foxy had given up chasing him? He wasn't so sure if he could believe that fully, but he relaxed. At least for tonight, it seemed he didn't need to worry about the fox. He then paused, listening. He couldn't hear the music box anymore. Freddy must've fixed it or whatever he was planning on doing with it.

  Sighing, Mike stretched and pulled out his phone. He'd at least play a game on it while he waited; he doubted anyone would try to break in here again.

  It was 2am when the animatronics wandered in. Mike smiled when Chica came into the room, fighting the instinct of shutting the door on her. It was so wired into him, and he still had trouble wrapping his head around the fact that he wasn't in danger.

  Mostly.

  "Sorry we took so long, Mike." She said, ducking into the room.

  He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Everything’s all set up?"

  "Yep! We just need to fix Foxy being a grouch."

  Mike jumped when Bonnie came in behind him. "Foxy's just upset. He really misses birthdays..."

  At this, the guard frowned. "You said someone wants to get rid of Foxy...Isn't there a way to fix him?"

  They both shook their heads sadly. "Freddy says our creator is gone..."

  "No, I mean someone else could fix him. I mean, he just needs a few parts and to be cleaned up. I'm sure there's someone that could do that." Mike argued.

  "If there is, then they aren't bothering to find them." Bonnie said, shrugging.

  Odd...Why was the place so against fixing their animatronics? Mike had that odd, fishy feeling again. He wasn't going to go out and try to solve the mysteries of this place, but there was _definitely_ a mystery. He sighed.

  He then noticed that Chica was apparently thinking about something, looking at the wall like she was. "Chica?"

  She cocked her head to the side. "We had someone that could fix us...I think."

  "When?" Bonnie asked.

  She sighed. Mike was surprised that she looked rather upset. "At the old place."

  That apparently meant something to Bonnie, because the huge bunny cringed. One of his hands went and clutched at his left arm, and Chica was shifting nervously. Old place...wait, Freddy's had celebrated a grand reopening, hadn't they? So there had been other locations?

  "You know you shouldn't mention that. Especially if Freddy or Foxy can hear you." Bonnie scolded but it was rather lackluster.

  Mike felt like he was missing something. Something bad had happened at the old location? Then again, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. It had killer robots that stuffed people into suits, of course something had happened.

  "So, this place had someone that could fix you?" Mike asked.

  The yellow animatronic nodded. "I remember overhearing about it...we got put into the junk room for a long time-"

  "Parts and Services." Bonnie corrected. There was an edge to his voice.

  "-so I think they forgot we were in there. But I heard someone talking and they had a, um...I don't remember, but I think they were going to fix us. Or take parts."

  Well, the last bit was rather disturbing. Mike frowned. "It sounds like they had a mechanic or an engineer to look at you. But why didn't he?"

  "Maybe he got fired?" Bonnie offered.

  "But then they had wanted to fix you. What changed?"

  They both pointedly looked away. Well. Apparently that wasn't a discussion they were willing to share. Mike ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. It didn't matter. If Chica didn't know who it was then they couldn't find him. And it shouldn't matter to Mike anyway; Foxy wasn't exactly his favorite, and he had a feeling he wasn't the fox's either.

  "Well, if it gets too bad, maybe you can mention this to Freddy." They both seemed down, so Mike cleared his throat, trying to find a different subject. "Well, so what can I expect tomorrow?"

  That got Chica to perk up. "Birthdays are so fun! Usually we perform the birthday kid's favorite songs, and then we bring out pizza and then cake! And we get to roam around on our own!"

  "We used to all the time. But since birthdays are special, they let us. That important guy will make you stay close to us though. He thinks we'll malfunction and hurt the kids." Bonnie explained.

  "As if we'd ever do that." Chica grumbled.

  Mike went to argue, since there was likely a very good reason to think that, but closed his mouth. Bonnie had said Foxy had gone after someone in the staff. Did they only attack adults? It wasn't reassuring but at the same time, it was. They at least had some kind of rules.

  Just like they had rules for hunting him...

  "Oh! Come on, Mike! Let's go see the decorations." The chicken went to grab his arm but the guard moved in time. "You can tell us what you think."

  "...you're trying to drag me to Foxy aren't you?" Mike asked her suspiciously.

  She looked like she wanted to argue, but thankfully Bonnie got between them. "You can't drag him into this. Foxy doesn't want to see him."

  "He's being dumb!" Chica said.

  "He can be dumb, I don't care." MIke argued, dodging another grab by hiding behind Bonnie. "He doesn't owe me anything."

  "Best be careful, Chica. You seem to forget your friend is human. Try to keep grabbing him like that and you'll tear him apart."

  Mike sighed in relief when he saw Freddy in the doorway. The huge bear looked almost like an upset parent with the look he was giving Chica. He went to go back into his seat when a paw covered his mouth and he was jerked back out of the room. He caught only a sight of Freddy staring at him before he was being dragged down the hall.

  "M'almost disappointed, boy. Didn't think ye'd let me get a jump on ya."

  The guard struggled. He was easily lifted off his feet, making it much harder. He considered biting but biting steel probably was a dumb idea, so instead he tried to scream. But a rather sharp hook at his neck made him freeze up.

  "Stop yer fussin'. If I was gonna kill ya, I woulda back in there." Foxy hissed at him.

  Okay...okay, that made sense. Mike tried to calm down; it wasn't like struggling was even getting him anywhere anyway. But then he noticed they were heading for Pirate's Cove and he yelped and tried to move Foxy's paw. He gasped for breath when he was tossed inside, pausing when he saw the space. It was bare except for boxes. They used it for storage?

  "And here I be thinkin' yer some kinda brave warrior." Foxy said, bemused as he looked down at him.

  "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm magically _not_ terrified of you guys??" Mike grumbled, trying to look unaffected as he dusted himself off. He nearly stumbled trying to back away when Foxy took a step closer. "So, what _did_ you want?"

  He scowled when the fox laughed at him. "Don't try to act tough, boy. I ain't here to kill ya."

  "So you say." Mike said.

  "If I had it my way, I'da stabbed ya through when ya had yer back to me." Mike shuddered. Okay, he _definitely_ wasn't well liked by Foxy; good to know. "But I can't have the lass upset."

  Lass? He meant Chica? Mike slowly eased down. So then, Foxy actually cared about what Chica had been telling him. But why? Why did he keep seeing different sides to them? First working to help the morning crew, and now this...

  "Look, I know what she's been bugging you with. You don't have to." The guard said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Like I told her, you don't owe me anything. It was my decision to help you."

  "Aye. But even this ol' boy knows that I ain't much of a cap'in if I can't even be grateful." Wow, that was very...now Mike felt like an asshole for even thinking Foxy was below a simple thank you. "I don't like ya. But if Chica and Bonnie are so smittin' with ya, there's gotta be a reason, right? So, thank ye, fer helpin me."

  Mike smiled nervously. "Uh, well...it was nothing. Really. I'm glad I could help at all..."

  He jumped when Foxy offered his hand. Blinking, he hesitated before taking it, yelping when Foxy shook his hand a little too hard.

  "Ah, right. Not made of metal and wires, are ya?" Foxy grinned. Mike had a feeling he did that on purpose. "The ol' bear puts up with ya, I might as well do the same."

  Puts up with...? Yeah right. Freddy seemed rather fond of torturing him any way he could. "Thanks...I think."

  "Now git."

  Foxy opened the curtain. Taking the hint, Mike quickly left. He sighed in relief when Foxy didn't follow, leaving him to walk back to the office on his own. Well, at least he no longer had to worry about Foxy coming after him when his guard was down....again at least.

  He paused when in the West Hall, he saw Freddy walking towards him. He scowled; that damn bear could've given him some warning. Freddy smirked back.

  "Don't worry, Mr. Schmidt. He didn't go with my idea."

  Mike frowned, confused. Freddy's smirk grew into an awful smile.

  "I wanted him to just behead you when Chica wasn't looking."

  Mike froze. No way...Had he really been so close to dying? Instinctively, a hand went to his throat. He heard Freddy chuckle as he passed. The human felt his legs begin shaking.

  Any ideas of being safe were thrown out the window.


	4. Enjoy the Ride

  "In all honesty, we just need you to stick close to the animatronics. They are well behaved around the kids but..."

  "They seem to hate us adults. I know. I kinda work with them all night." Mike said, ignoring the way his boss flinched. "So just stick with them and make sure they don't go after anyone. I think I can handle that."

  Mr. Lansdale chuckled. "You really saved us here, Mike. Not only with coming in...when I mentioned you were the one who caught that guy, _and_ that you'd be here, the parents were really happy."

  Mike frowned at that. "What?"

  "I mean, with our history...erm, I mean, you're practically a hero."

  Well, at least this gave him a chance. "Speaking of, I saw on the news that that guy isn't going to be arrested? Who is he?"

  "Ah, that. I'm not sure if I should..." Despite what his words, the man motioned for Mike to lean in. The guard would've rolled his eyes but he wanted answers. "Mr. Fitzgerald was a guard a few years ago. Night guard. But then we moved him to the day shift...for a day."

  "A day?" Mike frowned.

  "Well, he was going to be permanent..." Mike had a feeling he knew where this was going. "We had a birthday. Poor kid was too close to one of the old animatronics when it glitched. Front of his head, gone."

  He suddenly felt ill. The Bite of '87...He swallowed, trying to calm himself down. Had it been Foxy then? And then he paused. "Wait, old animatronics?"

  Mr. Lansdale nodded, seemingly enjoying the attention as he grinned. "At the other location, we had them all rebuilt. Put a ton of money into them. But then they began malfunctioning and we had to repair the old ones into what we have now." He sighed. "It's really too bad, the other ones were so popular."

  "What happened to them?" Mike asked curiously.

  He was waved off. "Thrown away. Sold off. Didn't need them anymore, did we? I wish we still did though! Could replace Foxy finally. Sometimes kids wander into Pirate's Cove and cry when they see him."

  "I'd cry too if I saw him broken like that."

   "I don't know why we can't just throw him away..." The man went on like he hadn't spoken.

  He really hoped Chica didn't hear that; day or not, she might stuff Mr. Lansdale into something worse than a spare suit. "If you repaired him, you'd probably make more money. From all the drawings it looked like he was really popular with the kids."

  The man looked shocked and almost ill at the thought. "A-are you kidding? Don't you understand what repairing him would do to _you_? You think he's fast now-"

  "I don't think you need to worry about that." Mike said mysteriously, grinning. His boss looked confused.

  "I could put in the paperwork...but we really don't have anyone that could fix him. I'll see what the higher ups say. But don't get any weird hopes up, Mike. After what happened, none of them want Foxy back."

  Mike watched him walk away. That...had been too easy. His eyes narrowed. Something was going on. He sighed and took a spot near the entrance, waiting for the birthday party to start. He paused when he saw Freddy coming from the kitchen; the three animatronics were roaming freely today like Chica had said and they were getting the pizza and cake ready.

  He wanted to smile, remembering that Freddy was awful in the kitchen. But after last night, he didn't even want to look at the bear. He was still nervous. Twitchy. Bonnie had asked if he was alright when he got back into the security room last night. He didn't dare tell him what had really happened.

  He perked up when a huge group of children and parents came in, carrying gifts. He smiled, motioning for them to sit at their tables. A girl, about eleven with curly brown pigtails, gasped and pulled on her parent's sleeve when she saw the banner. Obviously he'd found Lizzie.

  "You're Mike Schmidt?" Lizzie's mom suddenly asked him. "We heard about you on the news! I can't believe they let that man get away with what he did."

  He stiffened. "Uh, well...to be fair, he only broke a door, ma'am."

  "That's because you were there to stop him. I'm so glad you're the one making sure my daughter has the best birthday."

  He was relieved when they continued on their way. He could handle killer robots but give him a person trying to talk to him...He shuddered. He kept smiling and guiding the parents and children to their places though, and followed when the last one arrived.

  There was an immediate hush when the lights dimmed. Mike smiled; he'd never seen the animatronics perform before, being so afraid of them. All the kids ran to the stage, standing in front of it as the curtains opened, revealing the three animatronics. There was a huge burst of sound as they cheered.

  "Hello everyone! Are you ready to celebrate with Freddy Fazbear?"

  There was an added robotic-like quality to Freddy's voice. Mike was impressed. They could do that at will? He almost shuddered. It didn't help that the bear's eyes roamed over to where he was standing, staring before going back to the crowd of kids. They then went into a routine song.

  _t's m..._

  Mike stiffened. Again...He looked around, not sure where it was coming from. He scratched at the back of his head, trying to get rid of the weird feeling. He was told not to go after the music box...and he was working. But as he casually looked around, no one else seemed to hear it.

  Was there...something different about it?

  _t's m..._

_**S...h...**_

  He jumped when he heard one of the kids scream. But he sighed, relaxing when he saw that it was just Lizzie, screaming when Bonnie came off the stage. The bunny was saying something, but Mike couldn't hear it. The girl jumped up and down, taking Bonnie's hand as they approached the main table.

  Chica and Freddy got off the stage then. Chica went into the kitchen, grinning when she saw Mike watching. He made sure to not look at Freddy. After a few minutes of Bonnie playing his guitar for the kids, the two came from the kitchen. Chica was carrying the pizza and Freddy had the cake.

  "Don't they usually do that separate?" Mike wondered aloud.

  "Yeah, but Lizzie didn't want to pick a favorite." The woman from before said. "So we asked that they all come out. She's such a sweet girl."

  The guard smiled at that. He could tell from here that the animatronics were happy. "She is..."

  Chica cut up the pizza, bringing slices to everyone. As he was told, Mike stayed close. He doubted any of them would glitch out but he had to do his job. As the children ate their pizza, the three wandered around, letting kids hug them and answering questions. It soon turned into cake time, as Freddy helped Lizzie cut it.

  If he hadn't been hunted and attacked by the robots for weeks, Mike would never be able to tell they were sentient. Or killers. As the birthday girl began opening her presents, Mr. Lansdale came forward, gently pulling Mike away from the crowd.

  "Seems like we're safe. They'll go back up on stage and do routines until tonight." The man looked relieved. "Thanks, Mike. I had you scheduled here until four, so there are a few things I need you to do. I have some spare boxes in Pirate's Cove, you mind bringing them into the Supply Room?"

  "You want me to go into Pirate's Cove??" He demanded.

  Mr. Lansdale waved him off. "He sleeps during the day. You have nothing to worry about!"

  He left him there. Mike sighed. Well, at least he really _did_ have nothing to worry about. Foxy hadn't killed him yet. So he headed for the Cove. As he entered the area, he noticed the curtain move slightly. He frowned.

  "Foxy?" He asked quietly. He slowly moved the curtain aside, not wanting to surprise or upset the fox. "It's just me."

  Foxy was definitely not in sleep mode as he paced the small area. Mike frowned, seeing that he was upset about something. Dare he ask? They weren't friends, the robot's first instinct had been to stab through him, but he didn't like seeing him upset. Especially when he knew Chica would get upset as well.

  "I need to grab some boxes and move them into the Supply Room."

  The fox huffed. "Bout time! Been takin' up my space!"

  "Right, sorry."

  Mike grabbed the boxes. They weren't very heavy, and the boxes were middle sized. He wondered what was in them, but it was none of his business. So he nodded to Foxy and left. He wondered if the robot was upset about the birthday...

  He put them away in the corner, checking in on the Security Room. No one was in. Odd...did they have a day guard? He had no idea. Shrugging, Mike went to return to the birthday party. It was almost four, and he needed to get home to take a nap before his shift tonight.

  He stopped.

  There was a feeling of unease. Stronger than before; he felt like he wasn't alone. Swallowing nervously, the brown haired man glanced around. He should be by himself here. No one was allowed in the West Hall. But as the seconds ticked on, a presence grew. Behind him.

  A sudden chill hit his back. His skin twitched, and he began sweating, feeling it turn cold by whatever was near him. Even his teeth began chattering slightly. Despite the many situations he'd been in lately, this time, he dared not turn around.

  **_"He always comes back."_**

  "Mike?"

  He jumped. Mr. Lansdale frowned at him, looking concerned. "What...?"

  "I was worried Foxy got to you. It's four, go home. I need you prepared for tonight. I don't think we've ever had a security guard last this long since...well, for a while." The man said.

  "Oh, right. Sorry, I guess I got a bit distracted." Mike smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

  He waved back at Chica when the chicken did so. The mother from before stopped him, slipping him a twenty as thanks for 'easing her doubts' and he went home. He all but collapsed on to the couch, feeling exhausted. Whatever that was back in the West Hall...he had a feeling it was important.

xxxxxxx

  "So, let me get this straight," Mike grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Most of the girls think you're a guy, but all the boys think you're a girl. Am I getting this right?"

  Bonnie sighed. "Yes..."

  "And you, what? Just let them think what they want?"

  "I don't wanna upset them...so I don't mind." The robot shrugged as Mike smiled. "It's not a huge deal. Chica gets mad if people think she's a boy but I never saw the point."

  The guard shook his head. "You're way too nice, Bonnie."

  "Mike, do you want some cake? There's some extra." Chica suddenly popped her head into the room, making him jump slightly.

  "Oh, uh...sure, if it's not a bother?"

  She was gone before he finished his sentence. Mike blinked before sighing, rubbing the back of his head. He'd like to think he was getting better at this. He definitely like hanging out with Chica and Bonnie; they were both kind and almost sensitive. He wondered how they didn't get bored, sitting in here all the time.

  "Hey, Bonnie...you know who this Fitzgerald guy is? The old guard that broke in?" Mike asked suddenly.

  The bunny gave him a deadpan look. "We don't exactly find out the names of the guards."

  Oh, right...He gave a nervous laugh. "Um, well...he worked at the 'old place' according to my boss. But then he went to the day shift and there was an accident?"

  "That's...not something you should talk about, Mike. A lot of bad things happened at the old place, and..."

  "Right, sorry...didn't mean to push." Mike smiled. "It's not important anyway. I'm just being curious."

  Bonnie did that thing again, clutching at his left arm. The guard was surprised when he sat on the floor next to his chair. "We got thrown away. Chica doesn't remember much, she slept a lot in the Parts and Service Room. But some of the humans came in and started dismantling us. Got used for parts for the new animatronics."

  Mike stared, shocked that the robot was sharing this, and also trying to put together what dismantling could entail for a human. It sounded incredibly painful. "Did...did it hurt?"

  "Yes. If we take parts of our shells off, we don't feel it. But they dug and scrapped at our exoskeletons and wires." Mike shuddered. "They removed my face and arm. Pieces of my shell. Left us all to rot in the back room."

  "That's...horrible."

  Bonnie shrugged. "The four of us were kept together. It wasn't so bad. They took away Chica's hands, and her jaw malfunctioned. She had trouble talking, so she slept."

  The guard frowned, wondering if he dare ask questions. It was obviously a sore spot for them all; and he should be happy that Bonnie trusted him enough to tell him this. "You...you told Chica that Freddy or Foxy shouldn't hear you talking about it..."

  "Yeah. Freddy took it pretty hard, being replaced. He didn't get damaged too much, being the leader. But that made it worse for him. He thought he couldn't protect us." The purple robot glanced over. Mike was amazed when he realized Bonnie was almost his height sitting down.

  "And...and Foxy?" He wasn't surprised when Bonnie shook his head. That wasn't up for discussion. "Right, sorry. But at least you're here now."

  They sat in silence then, Mike wondering what had made them into what they were now, and Bonnie likely remembering the time back in the old establishment. The brown haired man was relieved when Chica arrived, carrying a slice of cake on a paper plate.

  "Don't tell Freddy." She said, giggling as she gave it to him.

  Well...that instantly made Mike uncomfortable. "Uh...?"

  "Freddy doesn't like it when we take things from the kitchen. But I left a note!" Chica explained, seeing his expression.

  A note. From one of the animatronics about taking food. He sighed, rubbing his face. He had a feeling the kitchen staff would blame him in the morning...Still he smiled at the chicken and ate his cake while half-heartedly flipping through the cameras. Freddy was nowhere to be seen, and Foxy was camping out in his cove. Things were calm.

  Until he heard the music box again.

  Why did this keep happening? Mike tried not to look around as he listened hard. It was the same tune as earlier. He wanted to ask about it, but he remembered Freddy's warning. Since the bear already mentioned killing him, he didn't want to cross any lines. Especially since Bonnie made it clear he was ferociously protective of them.

  "I'm going to patrol. Stretch my legs." He said, getting up. "Chica, you wanna take my seat and look at the cameras?"

  She gasped, looking delighted. "I get to be the security guard?!"

  She jumped into the seat. It groaned slightly under her weight. Mike really hoped it didn't break; he liked that chair. Smiling at Bonnie, who waved him off and stole the tablet from Chica, he headed down the hall. He paused near the Supply Room, but it wasn't there. Freddy must've moved it.

  "Be snoopin', boy?"

  Mike jumped, cursing when Foxy laughed at him. "Why do you all do that?!"

  He saw Bonnie peek out from the doorway as Foxy slapped him on the back. As Mike wheezed, silently thanking any god that the fox didn't use his hook, he waved the bunny off. Bonnie stared briefly before going back into the office. As the guard straightened himself, he yelped as the hook pierced his shirt and he was dragged away.

  "Why can't you guys ever just let me walk??" He grumbled, rolling his eyes when he was brought out into the dining room. "What now?"

  He was surprised when they headed to the rest room hall. He briefly wondered if he was going to be drowned in the toilets. "The ol' bear wanted to see ya. Apparently, all I be good fer is a delivery boy."

  "What if I said I didn't want to see Freddy?" Mike asked weakly. Foxy gave him a look. "Yeah, I didn't think so..."

  He was unhooked and all but dumped on the ground. The brunette sighed; he was going to run out of shirts at this point. He watched as Foxy left and Freddy emerged from the shadows near the kitchen. Mike tried to calm down his racing heart.

  "Mr. Schmidt. Forgive me for fetching you in such a manner."

  He shrugged. "It’s fine, I guess. What did you want to see me about?"

  The bear hummed, pausing to think. "Tell me, Mr. Schmidt...have you still been hearing the music box?"

  The human stiffened. "Uh, yeah...I heard it during the birthday and even just now. Why?"

  Freddy looked almost put-up as he sighed. "Were you planning on looking for it?"

  "Well...kinda. I mean, no one else hears it but me. I wanted to look around." He hesitated. "I was curious."

  He felt like a naughty child that got caught. He shouldn't feel ashamed. Freddy wasn't any form of authority over him, but despite whether they liked each other or not, he wasn't dead. That had to count for something, even if it _was_ just because Chica and Bonnie liked him.

  "Curious..." Mike felt a chill go through him. Freddy's already deep voice turned almost demonic. "You were curious, Mr. Schmidt? Shall I show you then? I had tried to keep it away but even with my intervention..."

  "I, uh...I appreciate your help. But I just want to know why I keep hearing it. Why only me?"

  "You know, curiosity can lead to many things. I think you'd best remember that." The animatronic said in that same tone.

  Before Mike could argue, Freddy grabbed him by his arm. He gasped, trying to pull away but the hard metal closed in tighter. He heard the others, Bonnie and Foxy asking what the bear was doing as Chica tried to stop him. But they were quieted with a look and Freddy dragged Mike into the kitchen. It was so dark; he tripped over his feet a few times only to be yanked back up.

  They went to a large door at the back of the room. When Freddy opened it, the chill hit instantly. A freezer. Was the robot going to freeze Mike to death? He was shoved inside, the door closing behind him. Instantly he tried to open it again but it was locked.

  "Freddy? Freddy open up!" He yelled as he tried to open it. "You smug, pompous ass bastard you wait till I get out of here!" No reply. "Bonnie? Chica?"

  _t's...m..._

  Mike froze. The sound of the music box began again, almost deafening. He tried to look around but it was too dark. He dared not move away from the door in case he never found it again. The music kept going, slowly decreasing in volume. And then it stopped.

  "Hello?" He called out hesitantly.

  He thought he heard movement. A creaking of something opening on rusty hinges. Mike held his breath. There was something inside here with him, he could feel it. It wasn't that chilling presence from before but it felt no less threatening.

  _"I've heard many things about you, Michael."_

  The guard tensed. A voice, soft and so quiet...he'd never heard anything like it. It was like velvet. "Are you an animatronic?"

  _"In a way. I've kept them alive many years now, Michael. Kept them together even when they begged me to let them go. Do you realize what you've done?"_

  "N-no...?" He really, really hoped he wasn't going to die in here. That would be a nasty shock for the morning staff.

  He felt something against his cheek. Claws? But they were too soft. He cringed away before he was grabbed, forcing him to look forward into darkness.

  _"You've bonded with them. Because of their nature, it should not be possible to connect with anyone but their own kind. And yet, you have. If you continue, you will heal their suffering."_

  Suffering?  "What...are they?"

  He cried out when white glowing eyes formed in front of his face. _"Careful what questions you ask, Michael. We tend to…overreact."_ He almost laughed hysterically. He knew that too well already. _"Some of them need only you. But there's one you will not heal so easily."_

  Of course. Freddy. Mike swallowed; he had no idea what he was healing them from but if he could help...He nodded. "I'll do whatever."

  _"Heal them, Michael, and you end their cycle. Our cycle. I regret not letting them move on."_

  "And...and you?"

  There was a pause. Mike wondered if he'd pissed it off, whatever it was. The claws on his face disappeared and he flinched, waiting to be grabbed or cut open. But nothing happened. And then the voice gave a breezy laugh.

  _"I have no more ties. I was avenged."_ Well, that had horrible implications. _"Protect them, Michael. Let them move on. I hope you can forgive us someday. We were only playing the roles we were put into."_

  The lights came on. Mike gasped, looking around wildly. He was alone. No music box, no figure or animatronic, nothing. He shakily got to his feet and jumped when the door behind him opened. Chica helped him out and he was grateful for it; he was shivering.

  "Are you okay, Mike?" She asked.

  He nodded. "Y-yeah...how did you...?"

  "Foxy helped me convince Freddy. Bonnie tried to sneak you out but he got caught. We're sorry, Mike. We wanted to help but..." She hesitated. "Freddy's always looked after us. I don't think he'd hurt you. He was just mad."

  "...Being mad justifies him putting me in there to _freeze_?" Mike demanded. He was surprised when she flinched. "Chica, it's...it's fine. I'm alright, you got me out, and now I want to know what the fuck was in there."

  She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

  Oh great. Of course she didn't know. "Never mind. I'll ask Freddy about it when I don't want to punch him."

  He went to leave, a faint light coming from the door. He paused when Chica didn't follow; the chicken was staring at the freezer door. "Chica?"

  "Was it...was it him?" She almost sounded frightened. What would scare her?

  "Dunno who it was. They had a soft voice."

  That made her look even more confused. "Definitely not him then. My oil freezes up when he talks."

  Oil couldn't freeze...but Mike smiled at the analogy anyway. "Come on, I need to see how good of a job you did being the security guard."

  "I did a great job! Until Bonnie stole the camera thing. He almost ran out of power. I told him he was awful and I tried to kick him out."

  They walked back with her chattering away. He smiled. At least, if nothing else, he knew that the others had his back in here. He was more than surprised that Foxy had tried to help him, but even if it was only because of the others, it made him feel better.

  "I think we should switch for a day. I'll be the security guard, and you hunt me. See if I last as long as you did." She went on.

  He snorted. "I don't think I'm much of a hunter."

  "You'd have the others to help. I've always wondered how you could out speed Foxy. He's always so sneaky."

  "I be what now?"

  Mike almost sighed. Bonnie had taken his chair with Foxy sitting on the floor. They were apparently fighting over the tablet, and in the distraction, Bonnie stole it back with a huff.

  "Please don't break that, I can't afford a new one..."

  Chica ignored him. "I wanna be the security guard and you guys and Mike try to catch me."

  "...does Mike stuff you into a suit when he wins?" Bonnie asked.

  "Sure. He can pick." She agreed easily. "I could be a Freddy suit for a day! Or a Bonnie."

  Bonnie gave her a look. "No one else can be a Bonnie. I pull it off too well."

  "I dunno..." Foxy grinned almost savagely. "I be thinkin' Bluboy pulled it off better."

  What was a blueboy...? Mike could only scratch his head when Bonnie looked offended. He was definitely missing something here. He was curious now.

  "I like Bonnie." He offered.

  "Ya only have one!" Foxy argued.

  "Maybe he only needs one."

  Chica sighed, stealing away the tablet from Bonnie. "You're an awful security guard."

  "I think I'm pretty good with having only one Bonnie. Or Chica, or Foxy." Mike said, amused when the three looked almost flustered. "But she's right. You are an awful guard. It's only four and we're about to run out of power."

  "I dunno how ye do it, boy. Seems rigged."

  Mike raised an eyebrow. "Well, when you're trying to survive..."

  "I can fix the power. If you turn the switch thingy, it resets." Chica said before waddling off.

  "...that should upset me..." Mike grumbled, motioning for Bonnie to move.

  "What? You were going to leave this room to reset the power?" The bunny asked, making the guard cringe.

  "Good point."

  It was weird, sitting there. Foxy hadn't moved and Bonnie was at his other side. His seat had sunk in slightly, given the animatronic's weight but it wasn't awful. He only jumped once when Foxy's hook came from his peripheral vision to tap on a different camera.

  "These cameras aren't placed very well...Chica's hall has a light right in the way." Bonnie mumbled.

  "Either they put them there on purpose or it was an idiot." Mike answered.

  "I think those posters be changin' on ya." Foxy pointed to the rules on the wall.

  "You're going to break the screen if you keep doing that." Bonnie said.

  The fox glared. "Ya try only havin' one hand...uh...right. Sorry Bonnie."

  Mike rubbed his face. He felt almost like a babysitter. "I think you meant having a hook for a hand."

  He was amazed when his phone went off, signaling six. He got his things together and yawned, following the two out. Chica was already on stage in sleep mode, as well as Freddy. Bonnie waved as he joined and Mike could only sigh when Foxy waved his hook hazardly.

  "See you tomorrow night."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

  Mike wanted nothing more than to sleep. He grumbled as his eyes opened, not sure why he was awake. His alarm wasn't going off, and he was sure he was too exhausted to get up on his own. But as he lay there, he heard it. A knock on his door.

  If that was the mailman he was going to be pissed.

  He dragged himself from bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The knocking continued. Mike looked out the peephole but didn't see anything. Sighing, opened the door and was greeted by a man in a hoodie.

  "You Schmidt?"

  Oh great. He was about to be robbed. "Yeah?"

  "You're the crazy asshole that wants that fox fixed right?" The other demanded. "Open the door all the way so I can beat your ass."

  "You realize threatening me before the chain is off makes it stay on, right?" Mike asked him curiously. "Who are you?"

  The other sighed. He pulled off his hood, revealing light blond hair and green eyes. Wondering if they'd met before, Mike shook his head. Until he noticed the large scar across the other's forehead and into his hair.

  "...Fitzgerald?"

  "Yeah. I came to thank you for the broken bottle to the head, dick." Mike glared back. "Look, the pizza place from hell called me. Said they wanted to rehire me and wanted me to fix that stupid fox. I asked if they were fucked in the head. And I was told to blame you."

  Mike leaned heavily against his door, sighing. "Okay wait...you're the guy that got bit in '87?" The other nodded. "And...you're a mechanic?"

  "Engineer. I took the security job to pay off school, and the company was going to hire me to take over fixing their machines. Then they tried to kill me. One nearly got me though, as you can see." He pointed to the scar. "Look, I won't beat your ass. Let me in, please. I look like a mugger standing out here."

  Mike hesitated. The man obviously had a temper on him, and probably would feel pretty justified if he killed Mike. He was crazy enough to break into the pizza place at night with killer robots. But still, he wanted answers. So he removed the chain and let the other in, mumbling about the mess.

  "So the hell you want to fix Foxy for? You realize you fix his legs, you're increasing his speed, right? And _lunge_? Bastard tried to get me a few times. They give you a flashlight?"

  The brunette blinked, trying to sort out everything he was just asked. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Um...no on the flashlight. And I realize."

  "You some kinda adrenaline junky?"

  "Hardly. Actually, I got you to thank for it. Once I knocked you out, Freddy asked me to help Foxy. I did so, and now they aren't trying to kill me." Mike explained.

  He rather enjoyed the shocked look on the blond man's face. "You're a crazy ass bastard."

  "Maybe." He watched as the other sat on his couch, eyebrows furrowed. "You mind telling me your name, anyway?"

  "Huh? Oh, Jeremy. You're Mike, right?"

  "Yeah. So, I was told you were bit at a birthday party right?"

  Jeremy sighed. "Yeah. Bitch got me good. I guess I should've expected it; they were glitching pretty bad. Place was closing down for a few weeks. When I woke up a few weeks later, I was told that some sick fuck broke in and killed a bunch of kids. They had him in custody and he just...got away."

  What...? Mike stared, eyes wide. "What happened?"

  He scowled when Jeremy pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "I don't know all the details. They mostly just wanted me to not sue their asses, and I had to sign a waiver of silence to even be hired. But from what the guy on the phone said, someone got in and wore a suit to lure the kids in. They never found the bodies. But then the same dude apparently messed with the facial recognition on the toys."

  Mike sat next to him on the couch, trying to put the pieces together. "Toys?"

  "Those were the new animatronics when I started. Toy Freddy, Toy Chica, Toy Bonnie, Toy Foxy. Here."

  The brown haired man watched as Jeremy pulled out his phone. He then showed him a picture. It had three very different looking versions on it, all lined up and likely singing a routine. Jeremy must've taken the picture because there was someone's hand in the frame flipping them off.

  "Classy." Mike offered.

  "I was mad. Made sure no kids saw me." The blond said, shrugging. "So yeah. Place was in lockdown. From what I gathered, it was the day guard that did it. But then my little accident caused quite a mess so the company had their hands full. Dunno how they let him get away. Likely not enough evidence, with no bodies."

  He lit his cigarette. Mike frowned, running a hand through his hair. The missing kids explained why the animatronics were weary of adults...and if it was a security guard, also why they hunted them. Was that why Bonnie mentioned not wearing the uniform? It was all making so much sense but it left him feeling sick.

  "...so the robots don't go after you anymore?"

  He looked up, seeing an odd look on Jeremy's face. "No...actually Chica wanted to play security guard. Said I should try to hunt her." He grinned at Jeremy's look. "The others were all for it. I even get to stuff her into a suit."

  "...the fuck, man..." Jeremy grumbled, grip tightening on his cigarette.

  "Do you have any idea why Foxy attacked you?" Mike asked him.

  Jeremy looked confused. "Foxy...? Where'd you pull that?"

  "Uh...wait, it wasn't him? He's been decommissioned, I assumed..." Mike was floored. "And the manager keeps saying that they wanna get rid of him!"

  "Nah, dude. Mangle got me." Seeing his lost look, Jeremy sighed. "Toy Foxy. She was this...take apart, put together thing for the toddlers. Foxy and the others were all in Parts and Services, there's no way they coulda done it. Even if she hadn't gotten me, I think she would've given me nightmares. She was a mess of wires and parts, hanging off the ceiling and giving off this...static."

  That sounded horrifying. Mike ran a head through his hair, trying to think. So Foxy hadn't done it. But why did everyone hate him? Sure, he was a huge risk to the night guard but so were the others. He sighed. So much for him not solving the damn mystery.

  "Mike..." He turned, surprised at the dark look on Jeremy's face. "You work tonight, right?"

  "Of course. I only get Sundays off."

  The blond man nodded. "Bring me in with you."

  Mike froze, eyes wide. "What? Are you nuts?"

  "You said they trust you, right? Or at least you're playing house with them. If I'm going to fix the bastards, I wanna see this first. Otherwise I'm going to break in there again and dismantle them all."

  "You're insane." Mike said. "Just because you got the drop on them last time-"

  "It's not a matter of getting out afterwards!" Jeremy snapped, lunging to his feet. "The fuck do I care if I live afterwards?! You know what happens when you got no frontal lobe? I can't react properly to things, my personality is _fucked_ and good luck finding someone to put up with you. I can't afford shit to fix it even now."

  He sighed, all his anger draining almost immediately as Mike flinched away. "I think...I think those kids were put inside them. Some kind of...voodoo shit. Ghosts or spirits or something. Explained those damn hallucinations...I just need to see it with my own eyes."

  Mike stood up as well, trying to move slowly, least Jeremy went off again. "You realize they might flip out when they realize who you are, right?"

  "So what?"

  Well then. "You could also get me fired."

  Jeremy laughed. "Oh no, not _fired_. It's only the greatest job in the world." He sneered. "Sides, you think they gonna let you go when you've tamed them?"

  "Hardly. And no one else knows." Mike grumbled.

  "Don't I feel like a special piece of shit then. If the job's anything like when I worked there, you have nothing to worry about. No one sees you come in or leave, place is too lazy to record you. And if they still try to kill me, big whoop."

  Mike sighed. Jeremy had a point. And if he was going to fix up Foxy...surely the animatronics wouldn't mind? "One thing..."

  The blond grinned. "I ain't suckin your dick."

  "Wha-You're an asshole." Mike rolled his eyes. "Whatever you do, don't mention the place you worked at. Bonnie's pretty sensitive about it, and I've been told that I shouldn't mention it around Freddy or Foxy."

  Jeremy stared at him. "Bonnie's....sensitive. You're fucking with me. The giant six foot rabbit that tried to choke me to death is sensitive."

  "Is he six feet? Damn...Even Chica's taller than me..."

  "More of a six eight. But hold the fuck up and explain that to me again."

  Mike raised an eyebrow. "Just like I said. He told me about him missing his arm, and it hurt pretty bad. Just don't do it."

  "And face. He had no face. Just red lights that _blinked_." Jeremy shuddered. "And wow, he's a guy? Had no idea."

  "Apparently he gets that a lot." Mike glanced at the clock. "I have some time to get ready and grab something to eat. Then we can go."

  The blond put out his cigarette on his jeans. "I'll take you out to eat. Least I can do after showing up out of nowhere. And it might be a pre-apology in case I get killed tonight and you gotta watch."

  "Thanks...I think?"

  Jeremy grinned. He waited until Mike got dressed, and the two of them headed out. The brown haired man really hoped that the animatronics wouldn't react too badly to Jeremy tonight.

  They had a lot riding on it.


	5. Is He Everything That He Seems?

  "So here I am, hiding under a fucking mask, and the little blue bitch wanders in from the vents. I'm freaking the fuck out, trying not to _breathe_ and he keeps staring at me. Just sitting there! And of course I see on the tablet that the music box is about to go off so I'm definitely about to die. But then the clock finally goes off. I cried. I ain't afraid to admit it."

  Mike stared, not sure if he should laugh or not. "Wow..."

  Jeremy nodded. "So that was my first night. I had wanted to find the dude that left those phone calls and punch him in the dick but I never met him in person."

  The brown haired man flinched. "He left me messages too...the animatronics got to him."

  "Wow, really...? Probably deserved it. Asshole was so flippant about the shit going on. Kept telling me I was in no real danger and blah blah blah." He sighed. "Still, poor bastard. I always wanted to ask him about the killer guy."

  Mike nodded, sipping the rest of his soda. It was pretty late, about 11:40. They needed to head out soon. But he was nervous; he really hoped that this wasn't the last time he'd get to talk to Jeremy. It was nice talking with someone that knew what he did about the animatronics.

  "So, if you don't mind me asking..." Mike rolled his eyes when Jeremy did a hand motion at him. "How did they fix...you know, your head? You're not quite what I imagined when I heard about the bite."

  Jeremy laughed, feeling the large scar. "Ah, well...I had a lot of fucking surgeries. The damn Fazbear company paid for them all cuz otherwise I'd look pretty fucking scary. So they basically put like, a dome in there and put pieces of a fake skull. My brain's completely gone in the area but I've learned to manage."

  "Must be hard..."

  "Hardly. I just get pissed off a lot. Doctor told me I'm lucky. You usually become an angry ball of nothing after losing it. No personalities, maybe pieces of memories...but I got to keep this loving personality." He grinned.

  Mike smiled back, shaking his head. "So you had eleven robots after you, vents, and what? You have limited power too?"

  Jeremy looked horrified. "You have _limited_ power?! Fuck no I didn't. My flashlight had shitty batteries but that was only for Mangle and Foxy anyway. Damn dude, how have you lasted this long?"

  "I have no idea honestly. If I'm even a second too late on the doors-" He stopped at Jeremy's look. "What?"

  He yelped when the other grabbed the front of his shirt, grabbing the attention of the rest of the restaurant. "YOU GET DOORS?!"

  "U-uh yeah? You didn't?" Mike gaped.

  He hissed when Jeremy let go, glaring at him. "Fuck no! Ugh...Would've made dealing with them easier."

  Mike dusted himself off; weary about the blond man going off again. "Man...eleven of them and no doors. You're lucky to be alive."

  "Don't I know it. Maybe that's why they added doors? But limited power is stupid shit. It's like they want you to die."

  As promised, Jeremy paid for their food despite Mike's complaints. Sighing, Mike grumbled about being even next time as they got into his car. He pretended not to hear Jeremy say there might not be a next time.

  As usual, the place was dark and empty when Mike arrived. The two wandered in, and as Jeremy looked around, Mike waited in the dining room, sitting on the stage. He really wanted to explain Jeremy before the others saw him first. Swinging his legs nervously, he jumped when the clock went off for midnight.

  "I think I have cheese stuck in my joints..."

  "Ewww, that'll mold. You should get that out. We don't want to start stinking again..."

  Mike smiled. He looked over when the three wandered from behind the curtain, Freddy shaking his head. They seemed surprised that Mike was waiting for them.

  "Mr. Schmidt. Shouldn't you be in your office?" Freddy asked.

  "Yeah, I just...um, I needed to introduce you first." Mike said, noticing the way they all looked suspicious. "I brought someone that needed to see you. He's, well-"

  "FUCKING SHIT!"

  Jeremy crashed into the room, hiding under a table. Foxy ran out behind him, snarling and trying to grab at him. Mike sighed. How had he forgotten about Foxy...?

  "You get back, you pirate bitch! You're lucky I don't have a flashlight on me, I'd smack you so fucking hard..."

  Mike wearily walked over, frightened to be sliced into pieces himself. "Foxy, hold on."

  "Foxy." Freddy cut in, and the fox immediately looked over, stopping at trying to rip Jeremy open. "Mr. Schmidt has brought us a guest."

  "The cur be sneakin' round!"

  "I was not! I was seeing how broken you were!" Jeremy argued, scowling as he climbed out from under the table. "Fucking hell, Mike, you could've given me some warning!"

  "It says Pirate's Cove pretty clearly." Mike grumbled. "Anyway, guys, this is Jeremy. He's been hired to fix you."

  Chica and Bonnie shared a look. "Fix us?"

  "He means I'd be fixing you if something happens to you. Mostly I've been hired to fix _him_." Jeremy pointed at Foxy. "Seems like a waste of time to me..."

  "You're the one that broke in and tried to dismantle us." Freddy said.

  Mike had to give Jeremy credit. He merely shrugged, not caring that they were all watching him. "Yeah, I am. See, having the front part of your brain ripped out is pretty fucking awful. But Mike explained that you guys aren't so bad. Apparently."

  "Ye came here cuz of Mike? Ye be insane, boy." Foxy sneered.

  "...he seriously talks like that?" Jeremy asked Mike, making the fox hiss.

  Mike grabbed his arm tightly. "Play nice." He hissed at him. "Look, I asked the manager about fixing Foxy. He said he'd do what he could and Jeremy came to me asking to meet you guys. You know, uh...formally."

  He didn't flinch when Bonnie came towards them to look at Jeremy closer. The blond certainly did though, taking a step back. "I remember you..."

  "Oh great." Jeremy muttered.

  Mike had no time to react when Bonnie grabbed Jeremy by the throat. He gaped and watched as the man was lifted clear off his feet, up to the bunny's face. "You messed with our mainframes."

  "He did what?" Mike asked.

  Despite the way his clawed at the others hands, Jeremy laughed. "O-oh that. I was worried you remembered me calling you a faceless freak."

  Chica gasped, looking horrified. Mike wanted to swallow but there was a large lump in his throat. This was definitely not going well. It was even worse when Foxy pulled him away, hand tight on his shoulder. Likely in case he tried to help.

  "I mean, this is certainly familiar, isn't it? You always grabbed me here, Bonbon. New face looks great though. I'm glad they didn't keep Toy Bonnie's eyelashes on you, would've looked ridiculous." Jeremy went on, grinning.

  "Mike..." Chica grabbed his arm. "Make him stop."

  He wasn't sure which 'him' she meant. But he nodded anyway. "Jeremy-"

  "Too bad you can still talk after what Mangle did to you." Bonnie said.

  "Jeremy, if you keep talking, I'm going to punch you." Mike cut in when the other went to open his mouth. "Bonnie, don't listen to him okay? We need to get Foxy fixed."

  "I be fine." Said fox grumbled.

  Mike shook his head. "You might be now, but they're trying to find a way to throw you away. If Jeremy fixes you, you can have your show back, birthdays, everything."

  "I am sorry for bugging you guys out with a flashlight. Mostly. Like I fucking knew what it did, but it kept me alive." Jeremy said. "And I'm...I guess I'm sorry for hitting Foxy with that electro-rod. I had to see you again for myself when Mike told me about you okay? Might not seem like it, but I was pretty fucking terrified about coming here after dark."

  Mike sighed in relief when Bonnie let him go. Jeremy hissed, landing painfully on his ass. Since no one was holding him back anymore, the brown haired man helped Jeremy up, waiting until he had his balance before kicking him hard in the shin.

  "You're an asshole."

  "Whoa, hey Mike, calm down. Only one of us is allowed to use that kind of language."

  "Mr. Schmidt, while we appreciate your efforts to see Foxy fixed, I must ask him to leave. He is not a guard, and should not remain here after hours." Freddy said calmly, eyeing the blond man critically. "It's against the rules."

  Jeremy grinned. "I think you've lost weight, Freddy. They design you differently? I think even the hat is different..."

  Mike almost smiled when Freddy's head tilted, likely not sure what to make of that. "Thank you, Mr. Fitzgerald."

  "But I guess I really should go. I'm alive. I apparently now have a job. I'll leave Mike with his doors." Jeremy dusted himself off and went to leave.

  "Wait! Uh, Bonnie, you said you had cheese stuck in your joints right? Jeremy can help you." Mike said.

  The purple bunny looked less than pleased. Jeremy less so. "Cheese?! How did that _happen_? You know what happens if that molds?"

  The guard grinned when Bonnie sighed and led the engineer to the kitchen to get it cleaned out. It slipped off though when he turned around, facing Freddy.

  "I'm sorry for springing this on you guys. He really wanted to come see you..."

  "Ya really did this to fix me?" Foxy asked.

  Mike nodded. "The manager said it wouldn't be a problem, but he warned me that you being fixed makes you faster...I guess they wanted you to rust so you weren't a threat."

  "That's sweet of you Mike." Chica said.

  He flinched when she hugged him. She didn't squeeze too hard at least. And it was quick. He smiled, shrugging. He didn't dare mention what the thing in the freezer had told him about healing them all.

  "Indeed, Mr. Schmidt. You keep surprising us." Freddy mused, and Mike stiffened slightly. "But you really should get to your office."

  The brown haired man nodded and left. He sat in his chair, sighing and easing into it. Down the hall in the kitchen, he could hear Jeremy cursing and what sounded like a sink. Mike rubbed the back of his neck and began playing with the tablet, watching the cameras lazily.

  "Bonnie's now cheese free!" Chica said as she came into the room. "That really was nice of you to ask the suit guy to fix Foxy...Thanks, Mike."

  He shook his head. "After spending time with you guys, I couldn't let anything happen to you. Any of you."

  Bonnie wandered in then, Jeremy in tow. The blond looked around, making a face at the office. "Wow it's cramped in here. So how about you Chica? You got any cheese?"

  The chicken shook her head as Bonnie sighed heavily. "Nope!"

  "Great. I'm gonna go now, Mike." He waved. "Have fun playing house."

  Mike glared at him as he left. Sighing, he turned to Bonnie who sat down next to him. "You okay?"

  "Yeah, it was only a little bit. I think one of the kids did it on accident." Bonnie said.

  Shaking his head, Mike went back to the cameras. Jeremy had lived, which was better than he'd thought the night had gone, and the animatronics didn't seem to mind that someone else knew about them. When sitting there became boring, he offered for them all to watch something on his phone.

  He regretted it once Chica and Bonnie began fighting over what to watch.

xxxxxxxxx

    A few nights later, Mike knew something was up.

  As he came in, a lone light was on near the kitchen. Frowning, the guard rummaged through his bag and pulled out his newly acquired baton; he'd left Mr. Lansdale a note about having one and the man agreed hesitantly. Slowly, he made his way towards the kitchen and peeked inside.

  "See? Now you put it into the oven. Careful, it's hot."

  Mike was horrified when he heard a child giggle. Standing up and walking inside, he saw a boy, maybe ten, watching Chica as she put a pizza in the oven. There was a mess of dough and flour everywhere, the kid was covered in it, and Bonnie was hovering nearby, picking the boy up when he tried to get on his tiptoes to see.

  "Do we have a young robber?" Mike asked. They all jumped, the boy looking scared. The guard just smiled kindly, coming inside. "Hmm, doesn't look like one...maybe an inspiring chef? Chica's the best to learn from you know. She makes the best pizzas."

  The boy seemed to ease up at that, grinning. He was missing a few teeth. "Chica's showing me how make pizza!"

  "What's your name? I'm Mike."

  "I'm Jason..." The kid looked down at his feet shyly when he was set back down.

  Bonnie patted his head. "Jason wanted to stay and see us. So he snuck in before closing. We were waiting for you."

  Of course...he wondered if this happened often. Mike nodded, sighing as he rubbed the back of his head. This was something...he'd need to find the kid's number somehow and call his parents. Or did he call the police in these situations?

  "You're the officer? My dad said you stopped a robber and protected the animals."

  Mike chuckled despite his face getting warm. "Yeah, that's me. So Jason, you have a number to call? You can eat your pizza while we wait for your parents."

  "B-but...I know I shouldn't have snuck in...but they're gonna be mad when they find out." He mumbled.

  "Maybe, but you know that they're looking for you. They must be really upset and scared that they can't find you. We can play on the stage and eat your pizza before they show up." The brown haired man explained softly.

  Jason perked up at that. "Can I meet Freddy??"

  "Of course! I'm sure he'd love to meet someone as talented as you." Mike grinned, offering his hand. "If you'd like, you can even meet Foxy."

  Hesitating, the small boy took the offered hand, looking confused. "Who's Foxy?"

  Nodding to the two animatronics, they walked out of the kitchen towards the stage. "Foxy is an animatronic that got hurt. So he's recovering in his cove until our doctor can fix him. Would you like to meet him?"

  "Yeah!"

  Not seeing Freddy, they went to the Cove. Waiting outside, Mike cleared his throat. "Uh, Captain Foxy? Someone wants to see you."

  "Aye, who be here?" Foxy moved the curtain, pausing when he saw the awestruck boy staring up at him. "Oh? And what be yer name, my boy?"

  His mouth opened and closed several times, face turning red. "J-Jason..."

  "Jason, eh? This ol' Cap'in has been waitin' fer a First Mate, and ya seem to be just the thin'." Foxy grinned, and Mike was surprised that the kid wasn't scared of all those sharp teeth. "How about ol' Cap'in Foxy and First Mate Jason go hunt fer sum treasure?"

  Mike almost rolled his eyes when Jason let go of his hand to rush over to the fox. "Please! Will you eat pizza with me? And, and can we play the arcade games?"

  "Jason," the guard gently cut in. "I need your parents number or name please. Okay? I'll tell them you were good here for us."

  "Aye, ya can't let them worry! Even a pirate has to keep lookin' after his parents."

  The kid hesitated, looking between them. But he nodded. "Umm...I think I have the number in my backpack...in case we got separated?"

  Wow...Mike hadn't even noticed him wearing a backpack. He felt like an idiot. Scratching his hair, the guard waited patiently for him to get out a piece of paper, formal and attached to the bag by a plastic waterproof case. Mike took it and smiled.

  "Thank you, Jason. I'm sure Captain Foxy will look after you until I'm done." He said.

  "Will you come back when you're done? We gotta find treasure."

  Foxy grinned almost evilly. "Ol' cabin boy Mike will join us. He needs to be lookin' after his chores fer us."

  Mike glared at him, huffing. "I'll be back. Don't worry."

  He left as they began exploring the cove. Sighing, he headed for his office, looking over the form in his hands. It had a number, address, name, and even what Jason was allergic to. But there was no need to worry about that unless Chica made peanut pizza.

  "Hello, is this Mr. or Miss Kalin? My name is Mike Schmidt, I'm a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, I found your son hiding here trying to play with the animatronics. No, no he gave me the form in his backpack to call you. He's fine...yeah, he was scared about calling you, but he'd been very helpful. He's a very kind boy. I'll keep an eye on him until you arrive, no problem."

  He hung up, shaking his head. They had been hysterical. He couldn't imagine the panic of not being able to find your child...Rubbing his face, he got up only to be shoved back into his seat.

  "Mr. Schmidt. I am going to tell you only once that you will stay away from that boy until his parents arrive."

  Mike gaped up at Freddy, whose paw encased his entire shoulder to force him down. "W-what? Freddy, I can't leave him alone! The kid needs looking after!"

  "We can handle it."

  "Like hell. Look, I dunno what your beef is, but he asked me to go play with him. I don't want him to get scared. I know you guys are good with kids, it's your job, but I need to be there so he doesn't try to expose you all." He argued hotly.

  He hissed when the paw tightened. It felt like his bones were groaning and shifting. "We. Will. Handle. It."

  He gasped. "Y-you're a stupid, arrogant asshole, Fazbear...What, you think I'm going to march out there and hurt him??"

  Freddy's eyes went black, making Mike freeze up. Well, shit... "Look, Freddy...calm down. I would never do that, you know me. You might not like me, but you know me. You and I can go out there together; you can keep an eye on me if you want. But I would never...Hell, I'll wait until Chica and Bonnie can come with us."

  The bear studied him, those black glassy eyes inspecting him closely. It was unnerving. "You are not to be alone with him Mr. Schmidt."

  He removed his paw as his eyes went back to normal. Mike hissed, feeling his shoulder. It hurt pretty bad, but nothing seemed broken. Getting up, the guard headed for the kitchen to see how the pizza was doing, Freddy following closely.

  "But what if he doesn't like pepperoni?"

  "You're ridiculous. No child doesn't like pepperoni." Chica argued as Mike came in.

  Bonnie looked nervous, shifting on his large feet. "I guess..."

  "Hey guys. His parents are on their way, the pizza done?" Mike asked. Chica nodded happily. "Good, let's bring it out to him okay? He's playing with Foxy."

  The chicken put the pizza into a box and began walking out, shooing Bonnie away when he wanted to inspect it again. Mike rolled his eyes before following. They could see the young boy running around in the cove, with Foxy dancing around. The guard almost groaned; where did they get wood swords?

  "Ah, looks like we be gettin' a delivery, First Mate!" Foxy said, pausing as Chica set the box down on a table. "We best eat."

  Jason hesitated before nodding, heading over. He paused when he saw Freddy, who smiled and took off his hat in greeting. He had that same awestruck face as before with Foxy as he shyly looked down and sat at the table.

  "You looked like you were having fun. Captain Foxy played fair right?" Mike asked as he opened the box. It didn't seem too hot so he let Jason pull out a piece.

  "I always play fair!" Foxy grumbled.

  "Yeah!" Jason agreed around a mouthful.

  He ate three pieces; Mike was amazed. How did this kid have space for that? But once he was full, and his face was covered in sauce and grease, he jumped up and pulled on Mike's hand, trying to drag him to the arcade.

  "Can we play games? Or maybe we could do hide and seek?"

  "Whoa, hold on." Mike chuckled. "The arcade doesn't have power since it's late. And we gotta stay in the dining room for your parents. So we could play tag, or maybe if you asked nicely, Freddy and Chica and Bonnie could play you a song?"

  "Just for me?" He asked.

  Mike nodded. "Of course. Foxy and I will sit with you."

  The boy grabbed him again and pulled him over to where Freddy had been watching. "Um, Freddy? Can you and everyone play a song?"

  The guard ignored the look he got from the bear. "Well, I think we'd all be more than happy to, Jason."

  It took a few moments getting ready. They turned the lights on for the stage, which Mike wondered how that worked, and Bonnie grabbed his guitar and Chica her microphone. Freddy's was already in his hand when he walked out. Jason grabbed a spot in the front, his grip never leaving Mike's and he'd latched a hand on to Foxy's as well.

  Mike had only heard their performance once, during the birthday party. But Jason apparently knew them all, as he watched with wide eyes. The robotic quality in their voices remained gone and they moved more on stage for their small audience. If nothing else, Freddy knew how to make a kid special.

  It was halfway through the third song when Mike felt a weight on his side. Blinking, he looked down. The kid must've been exhausted, as he lay against the guard. He was snoring slightly, getting pizza stains on Mike's shirt. And likely drool.

  "I appreciate ya bringin' him to me. I forgot what it be like, playin' with em." Foxy said as the band put away their things and shut off the lights.

  "I forget how good with kids you all are...Makes me glad that Jeremy broke in that night." He saw the look on Foxy's face and swallowed. "Kids don't care if you're in pieces, Foxy. They just care that you do."

  He flushed. That came out a litter cheesier than he'd like. But the fox just grinned, not commenting on it. Then there was a siren sounding, the pirate sighing as he got up and hid back in the cove. Carefully, Mike picked Jason up, heading for the doors and unlocking them when an officer and two parents ran forward.

  "Had the band playing and he fell asleep. I'm not sure how he got in; I'll look through the cameras." Mike said.

  "Thank you...and we're so sorry this happened."

  "I'll just take a statement and leave you to your job then." The officer said.

  Halfway through, Jason started waking up, giving Mike a sleepy wave. Mike waved back. He noticed the boy's eyes wander, grinning and falling back to sleep. Making sure no one else was looking, the guard glanced over. The curtain moved slightly as Freddy hid back behind it.

  "You never told us you were good with kids, Mike!" Chica said once they'd left and Mike relocked the doors.

  He flushed. "Uh, well...I mean, I don't think I am...Not really."

  "You think he'll come back?" Bonnie asked.

  "They always do." Freddy chuckled.

  Foxy came back out, looking towards the door. "He was a good boy. Glad we had ya, Mike. Poor thing would've had to wait till mornin'."

  "He took his pizza, that's good. I better clean the kitchen so the morning people don't worry!" The chicken went off, humming something under her breath.

  Mike sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I'll check the cameras. See if there are any recordings on how he got in. Has this happened before?" Bonnie, Foxy and Freddy shook their heads. The brunette frowned. "Odd...Foxy, you mind checking to see if the backdoor is open?"

  Looking curious, the fox did so. Bonnie frowned. "You think someone left it unlocked?"

  "Just...you know, an idea. Should check if nothing else, right?"

  "You think someone tried to lure him here?" Freddy asked darkly.

  Mike shrugged, rubbing his head. "Dunno. I hope not. I mean, no one else is here. How did you guys find him anyway?"

  "He was wandering the dining room when he woke up. Chica and I asked him if he was lost, but he said he'd snuck in to see us. So we asked if he was hungry and took him to the kitchen to make a pizza until you arrived. We woke up early since we heard footsteps." The purple bunny explained.

  "He could've hid in the bathrooms, we don't have cameras in there..." Mike's frowned deepened. "I'll leave a note and call my boss."

  "Aye, the door be locked!" Foxy said as he came back in. "Even the garbage shoot be shut tight."

  Mike nodded and headed for the security room. He wasn't sure if the cameras recorded during the day, but he'd check. Otherwise he'd have to bring it up to Mr. Lansdale. It seemed ridiculous that they'd managed to let a kid sneak by.

  "I pass your imaginary test?" He asked when he realizes Freddy was following him down the West Hall.

  The bear chuckled. "Just because you dare not try anything while we’re watching, Mr. Schmidt, doesn’t means anything to us."

  "'Try anything'? I don't even understand what you're talking about! I'm not some sick fuck that likes hurting kids; I've never done it and never _will_ do it. The thought makes me feel ill! Why would I work here if I-"

  He hissed when he found himself pressed against the wall. Freddy's paw tightened around his throat, and Mike's nails scratched at the fake fur and hard metal as he tried to breathe. His legs kicked uselessly, dangling in the air as the animatronic growled and eyes turned black.

  "You think you aren't like them, but you are. They're always the same, Mr. Schmidt. 'Sick fucks' as you so graciously put it that hide here under a smile while hiding a knife behind their back. You hope no one notices as you lure them in with promises of special treatment and prizes, when all you do is rip open their inside, forcing their friends to watch as you taint them. You never so much as flinch as they cry, begging you to stop, because you're going to rip them apart. And when they finally die there, alone, you can only think of how to hide what you did."

  Mike blinked around tears; whether from trying to breathe or because the way Freddy's voice wavered, turned too human. They fell down his cheeks anyway. He swallowed around a lump in his throat as he pulled himself up.

  "I...am not like the person that did that to you."

  Freddy sneered back. "So you say, Mr. Schmidt."

  "I couldn't even imagine..." The brown haired man stopped, needing to swallow again. "Bonnie told me how much you protect them. I can't begin to imagine what it'd be like to watch your friends die, or what else... he might've done. But I will never be like that."

  "Empty words." The hard metal enclosed around his throat tighter. His claws dug into skin.

  The guard scowled. "Maybe they are. I can't prove anything to you, only make promises. But I will never let anything happen to anyone! Especially you guys. These past few days have been great to me. I want to protect you, even if I can't do much."

  "We don't need your protection, Mr. Schmidt." He said.

  "I still want to try! They're important to me too!" Mike argued.

  "They will _never **trust you.**_ " Freddy roared. The sound was deafening; Mike heard something crack.

  "It doesn't matter because I love them! It doesn't matter what they feel about me, I will look after them and protect them! I'll make them the greatest animatronics they can be! I'll make sure they're fixed and if this place ever went under, I'd be here to find you guys a home. Even when you tried to kill me I kept coming back. Doesn't that mean anything?"

  Mike hated how his voice wavered and how warm his face was. He wasn't even really sure what he was saying; it was a rush of emotion that he couldn't control. He loved it here; after being so afraid to come to work, of wondering if he'd live to see one more day...But now he had them. Bonnie, with his sensitive questions and the way he tried to make Mike comfortable around them, Chica and her fussing, the way she wasn't afraid to ask him anything. And Foxy with his rough nature and how he liked to poke fun at Mike's humanity.

  They didn't care how long it took for Mike to warm up to them. They didn't care he wasn't made of metal and wires. And maybe he still flinched slightly, but they wouldn't hurt him. He liked being around them, just as they did him, and that's all he needed. It was probably the closest thing he'd had to a family in a long time.

  "....adults only make empty promises, Mr. Schmidt." Freddy finally said.

  "Then I won't promise...I'll just do it."

  His vision suddenly had black dots dancing around. He tried to move his head, confused. Was it from struggling to breathe? He could only see large, dark pizza sauce stains on his shirt. And then he realized it wasn't pizza sauce as he ran a hand over it. Dazed, he wondered what had happened only to gasp when Freddy released him. He fell to the ground, dizzy, as he looked up.

  He'd been pressed against the Supply Closet. It was cracked, splintered, and a large piece was covered in blood. Confused, Mike reached behind him, only to feel an open wound in his lower back.

  "....Mr. Schmidt?"

  "Might...need a hospital..." He panted out before his vision darkened.

  He passed out, wondering if he was going to wake up.


	6. You Will Never Go Home

  He was in a lot of pain.

  Trying to open his eyes didn't work. And when he tried, there was a horrible bright light that made his head ache and he stopped trying after that. There were muffled sounds, maybe talking. He couldn't be sure. And then he'd heard it.

  **_"He always comes back."_**

  What? Who was talking to him? Groaning, Mike opened his eyes slowly. Nothing focused right away, it kept blurring and moving. The light was gone thankfully, and he sighed, turning his head. He frowned. Was there...someone there?

  **_"Don't worry. You won't die on us. We still need you."_**

  Needed him? Mike wanted to answer, but all that came out was a whine. Moving his head sent a burning pain down his spine. He felt a large, hard metal hand on his forehead.

  **_"You are so close to healing us, Michael. But I'm afraid the last won't be so easy."_**

  Last? Freddy...they'd had a fight didn't they? That caused...this. He'd been hurt. He should feel pissed off, that the animatronic did that to him. But there was only numbness in his chest and pain in his lower back.

  He tried to focus his eyes. Whatever was in here with him, he knew it. The cold, the presence. It wasn't that thing in the freezer...it was what he'd met in the West Hall during the birthday. Wasn't it?

   ** _"You're so close Michael. Bring him back to us please."_**

  "You awake?"

  Mike gasped, shooting up only to cry out and fall back on the ground, clutching at his side. He felt someone grab his shoulders, swatting his hands away. Panting, he looked up to see Jeremy looking worried.

  "Careful, you'll tear it open further. Come on, deep breaths. Not that deep! Fuck man, you scared the shit out of me!" The blond scolded as he helped Mike turn to lie on his stomach. "I seriously thought you were dead."

  Taking a moment to breathe, the guard looked up. "What...happened?"

  Jeremy scowled. "I was hoping you'd tell me. Freddy called me, which was fucking weird enough, but then I come here and find you lying on a table, all bandaged up. There was first aid kits everywhere man. Bonnie was hysterical, and kept glitching on me while Chica's covered in your blood!"

  He almost smiled. That sounded like Bonnie. Chica in blood though was confusing...Frowning, he nodded for the other to keep going.

  "Well, apparently she was the one patching you up. Did a pretty decent job actually. I tried to make sure you didn't bleed to death, and take you to a hospital but Freddy refused to let you leave. He was pretty fucking scary. I forgot they do that...creepy black eye thing. So I did my best with you here...Since you were out of it I poured a shit ton of rubbing alcohol and it seemed to mostly stop bleeding."

  Mike wanted to argue when Jeremy pulled out a cigarette, but all that left him was a moan. Plus the older man's hands were shaking pretty bad. Sighing, the guard slowly pushed himself to his knees despite the squawk that left Jeremy's mouth.

  "Where's....Freddy...?"

  "...He seriously did this to you?" The blond whispered, looking horrified. "You said....I mean, I thought you guys had a truce or something...?"

  He barked out a laughed. "Oh yeah. Great truce isn't it when I nearly die? No, everything's fucking great. I'm fine. I just think we need a little talk."

  Jeremy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You realize how hard it's gonna be to get _just_ him in here?"

  Confused, the brown haired man looked around. He was in the office. The doors were shut, and he wondered if the power was going to go out on him. He sighed. How did he get into this mess?

  He looked up when the doors opened. Just as Jeremy predicted, before the doors were up all the way, Bonnie was in, eyeing Mike. He ignored the engineer's muttered words of giving him space. Still, the guard smiled at the bunny.

  "Mike...a-are you okay? Freddy brought you out and..."

  "I'm okay. Just in a lot of pain, and in need of a hospital." Mike answered.

  At that, the animatronic looked ashamed. "We...we tried to get Freddy to let you go. But he refused to listen to us. He and Foxy starting fighting, so Jeremy put you in here."

  Fighting...? He frowned but the thought slipped away as he hissed, clutching at his back. He pulled his hand away to a large blood smear. Fuck that hurt. It kept throbbing on him, making it all worse.

  "Is he awake? Mike!" Chica came in as well, carrying a large, wet towel. "I brought this, Jeremy! Should I put it on him?"

  "Damn, I was hoping he'd be asleep for that..." Jeremy sighed. "Alright Mike, we're gonna put the towel on. It's hot, it's supposed to help. Might hurt at first okay?"

  Mike nodded. He groaned when Bonnie held him down gently; if he thrashed he'd rip himself open again. Looking concerned, Chica laid the towel on over his shirt. He screamed. The heat surged into him and he clenched his hands into fists as he tried to breathe again.

  "Alright, let's take another look."

  Jeremy lifted his shirt, trying to carefully pull it away from the wound. It stuck to it, making Mike whimper. The blond cursed, looking around.

  "You've got pieces stuck in there, Mike...Shit man, fuck what Freddy says. Bonnie, pick him up. I'm going to pull the car up to the entrance."

  The blond was gone in seconds. Mike tried to move again, clutching the hot towel as he felt Bonnie try to grab him without damaging him further. He clutched the bunny's fur, gasping as he was lifted up. As Bonnie ducked under the door, Mike vaguely realized it was stuck halfway, with a large indent where the purple robot's fingers had grabbed it. Well...that was unsettling.

  The thing with robots, at least, was there was no jostling around when Bonnie took a step. The guard was back to breathing normally when they entered the Dining Room. Jeremy was nowhere to be seen, with the front doors opened wide. Looking around with glossy eyes, Mike found Freddy and Foxy near the stage. The pirate ran over.

  "Mike, lad..."

  "Mike's going to the hospital." Bonnie said curtly. It was strange to hear him talk like that.

  Foxy nodded while Freddy scowled. "Bonnie, you can't-He needs to stay, I have to talk to him-"

  "Y-you are a serious asshole, Fazbear." Mike groaned, not seeing the bear flinch. "I've got pieces of door stuck inside me. I'm bleeding all over the damn place. If you want me to stick around and haunt a suit too, then..."

  They all winced. But as Freddy moved closer, Bonnie snarled at him and moved Mike away without hurting him. Wow...He forgot Bonnie could be pretty fucking terrifying.

  "You can't let him die, Freddy!" Chica argued, hands on her hips.

  "Ya caused this! Ya think any of us were happy about there bein' a kid wanderin the place?? But ya went too far!" Foxy hissed.

  Freddy stuttered; Mike had never seen that before. "Of course I don't want that! But he could...I mean..."

  The car pulled up. Daring him to try and stop him, Bonnie glared at him and carried Mike to the doors. They couldn't leave the restaurant, but Jeremy had hazardly pulled up over the curb and had the back door opened, waiting. It took some weird maneuvering but Mike was set into the seat, laying heavily against the other door.

  "I'll call the manager. You guys clean up." Jeremy ordered before hopping in the driver's seat.

  Mike glanced up. They all look concerned, maybe even scared for him. He managed to smile and wave, hesitating only when he caught a glimpse of something on the stage. It waved back as well and then they were moving.

  It had been gold?

xxxxxxx

  Jeremy was there when he woke up again. He was twitchy, likely because you couldn't smoke in a hospital. He jumped when Mike moved, helping him sit up. There wasn't any pain; likely he was on something if the IV hooked to his arm was anything to go by.

  "You alright? They removed the pieces and sewed you up. Likely scar, but you can tell the ladies you fought off a grizzly or something."

  Mike chuckled, lying back against the pillows. "I don't remember anything since the car..."

  The blond shrugged. "Ya whined and bitched a lot. My fault though, I took some sharp turns. Luckily I wasn't pulled over. But they said you would heal fine in a day; the stitches are the kind that apparently fade on their own? Pretty fucking incredible. I also called Lansdale and told him Freddy 'malfunctioned'."

  Mike went to nod only to pause. There was something around his neck...bandages? He felt them curiously. He heard the other snort.

  "They found the claw marks. Seriously, there's a huge fucking bruise around your neck and you were cut up bad. Any tighter and they said he woulda crushed your windpipe."

  "But I was breathing okay...?"

  Jeremy shrugged. "Lansdale wants ya to call soon as you can but that can wait. He just wants to make sure you're not gonna sue his ass."

  Mike rolled his eyes. "Nah, I'm alive."

  He was surprised when Jeremy slammed his hands down on the arm of his chair. "Are you fucking kidding me?! That shit nearly kills you and you aren't gonna do shit? What if it was your spine? If he snapped your neck? I get it, you like them, but Freddy fucked you bad Mike!"

  "I can't..."

  "Why?! What do you _owe_ them? They tried to kill you for weeks and because you have a few nice days you wanna ignore that? They're robots! They're...they're fucked up kid spirits! If they wanna play with someone, let them find someone else." Jeremy hissed.

  "It was my fault okay? I...there was this kid that snuck in, and Freddy thought I would..." Mike sighed, feeling dizzy. He groaned and fell back against the pillows.

  "...you sound like an abuse victim..." Jeremy grumbled. "I don't care what happened. He lost control and almost killed you, man."

  The guard sighed. "Let me just think okay?"

  Nodding, the blond got up. He muttered about a smoke break and left. Mike expected him to slam the door but he didn't. Sighing, he sunk into the bed and glanced out the window. On a metal tray next to him was his phone, wallet and a glass of water. His phone was blinking with missed calls.

  Reaching out, he grabbed it. Most of them were from his mom. He'd need to call her. The others were from work. Blinking back the wave of dizziness, he dialed his mom's number.

xxxxxxxx

  Everything blurred together until he was dressed and going home. The only things he remembered clearly were his call to his mom, talking to Lansdale, and the surprise he'd felt when Jeremy came in wearing a Fazbear uniform. He looked irritated, muttering about covering his shift and the repairs he'd done with Foxy. None of the words stuck but Mike felt better anyway.

  The pain was still here, now a constant throb. But he could move around and he was too happy to walk out of the hospital. After an argument with his boss, he got the company to cover his hospital bills.

  "You're really going to work tonight?" Jeremy asked, looking pissed again. It was a very familiar expression by now.

  "Yeah. I've had way too much sleep." Mike answered.

  The blond grunted. "You're a fucking idiot. I'm going in with you. You're going to sit there and be catered to like you're a goddamn pregnant woman, got it?"

  Where did he come up with these things...? Mike chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, no problem."

  Since it was already five, Jeremy brought him to get something to eat. Mike wasn't that hungry, but he nibbled on some fries and drank a milkshake to feel better. Mostly he listened to Jeremy bitch about ordering new parts for Foxy and what he'd done to fix him.

  "I'm glad...those rusty screws looked pretty bad. His jaw just kinda flapped around when he ran." Mike said.

  "Yeah, he was pretty messed up. There were years of buildup and old oil clogging his system. I cleaned it all out and gave him new shit, so then I had to polish his exoskeleton. Mostly his legs. Being exposed fucked them up. He was pretty happy when I finished though." Jeremy shrugged.

  "Do the others need any maintenance?" The guard asked curiously.

  The blond shrugged. "Not really. They've been looked after you know?"

  They sat there, ordering refills before leaving. It felt good to be out of the hospital. Rubbing his eyes, Mike yawned. He felt exhausted, but it wasn't anything that sleep could fix. He just wanted to get into his own bed. But he wanted to work. He needed the money, and he wanted the others to know he was okay. Jeremy said he'd refused to talk about Mike as some kind of fucked up punishment.

  When they arrived, Mike paused. He'd been dreading facing Freddy again; would he be frightened? Pissed off? Numb? He felt like some kind of line had been crossed but he'd never made any with Freddy. They weren't friends, the bear had been clear he wanted Mike dead. Was it really that surprised things had ended up this way?

  Jeremy helped him into the office. The stuck door was up now; he muttered something about drinks and headed for the kitchen. Mike grinned, picking up the tablet. He watched the three emerge from the curtain and see the camera light on, headed for the security room. Mike remembered when that would've been terrifying...

  "Jeremy, how are...Mike??"

  "Hey Bonnie." Mike greeted.

  He was surprised when the bunny grabbed him, pressing him close. "Mike! We were so worried, Jeremy wouldn't tell us anything and the suit guy kept close to us, I thought we were going to be decommissioned."

  The guard shook his head, chuckling. "N-nah, I'm good. Some stitches, some sleep and a lot of painkillers. I'm alright now. I said what happened was a freak accident."

  Bonnie let him go, gently putting him back into his seat. Mike almost scowled at being so easily manhandled. "You shouldn't have done that...you almost died."

  "Trust me; I've heard this speech from Jeremy. But I'm fine. I've rested up, I've healed and now I wanna enjoy my job." he said.

  "Mike!"

  Chica ran in, Jeremy scowling behind her. The chicken was bouncing on her feet, looking him over closely. "Jeremy said you were okay. Are you? Do you need anything?"

  Mike felt a little overwhelmed. He managed to smile. "I'm okay, Chica. Jeremy got us something to drink; my throat's been dry lately."

  "Yeah, so move it." Jeremy scolded, squeezing around her. "And lay off the pizza, damn."

  "I'll have you know I have a nice shape." Chica argued hotly.

  Jeremy scuffed. "Nah, Toy Chica had a shape. You have-" He yelped when Mike stomped on his foot. "Fuck okay! Damn..."

  Looking satisfied, the yellow robot grinned. "Oh I know! Cake! That'll make you feel better Mike."

  "I feel fine...and she's gone." The guard sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Whatever. Free food."

  "You want me to get Foxy? He'll want to see you're better." Bonnie asked. Mike groaned and he chuckled. "Well, I'll let him know in a bit."

  He graciously sipped on his soda, flipping through cameras. Finally bored of that, Mike pulled out his phone, making Bonnie perk up. He smiled. He pulled up something to watch and Bonnie sat down next to him. Jeremy watched over his other shoulder, having went and gotten another chair.

  "Should bring in your laptop some time. Let them watch a movie." The blond said.

  Mike nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

  It was around 3 am when Chica returned with a cake. It was chocolate, covered in a mesh of sprinkles and icing that said 'glad to have you back' in cursive. Behind Chica was Foxy, carrying a thing of Freddy Fazbear paper plates and forks.

  "Hey Mike! Glad to see ya back." the fox greeted.

  "Hi Foxy."

  Chica placed the cake on the desk and had a knife to cut it. "Foxy did the icing. We weren't sure what colors you liked so we did all of them."

  Mike paused. "You did the writing Foxy?"

  "Aye! Ol' fox happens to be a master o'penship."

  That was...odd. But Mike smiled. "I like it." They both looked relieved. "And uh...I guess for future reference, my favorite color is green."

  "Aw, you like my eyes, Mike? You know how to make a guy feel special~" Jeremy teased, grinning when the guard gave him a look.

  "Shut up and eat your cake."

  Chica gave him a slice first, with a kiddy yellow fork. Chuckling, Mike took his first bite, blinking. He'd expected a store-bought mix, but...this was completely homemade? He almost melted against his chair.

  "This is amazing, Chica."

  He and Jeremy both had some, Foxy handing them two glasses of milk. Embarrassed by the attention, Mike kept stuffing himself with cake. It was worse when Jeremy got up and got him more soda once the milk was gone, muttering about hydration.

  "So I think I'll bring in more movies next time. Anything you guys want to see?"

  "Oh, can you bring in more of those singing ones??" Chica asked, and Bonnie nodded eagerly. "Those are great."

  "I be likin' those as well." Foxy added.

  Well at least that made it easier. He nodded. "I'll bring in a bunch then. We'll watch them."

  "....they're talking about Disney movies aren't they?" Mike gave Jeremy a glare which the blond just laughed at. "I shouldn't even be surprised should I?"

  "Is there anything else we can do, Mike?" Bonnie asked softly.

  He blinked and sighed. "I'm okay guys. Really. I'm not on my deathbed, I'm recovering. It was my choice to come in tonight. I appreciate you looking after me but I'm fine."

  The three shared a look. Chica sighed. "Mike...we- we heard what you and Freddy were arguing about."

  Both he and Jeremy looked up. "What?"

  "About...caring for us. And when Freddy sounded mad, we were on our way but then he came into the room with you. We were so scared, Mike." the bunny explained softly, looking upset.

  "You heard that and you didn't rush to help!?" Jeremy demanded. "The fuck is wrong with you?!"

  Mike frowned. Maybe he should be upset by that, but it had passed. No changing it now. "It's okay."

  "No it's fucking not!"

  "It's FINE." Mike snapped, making Jeremy scowl. "Can we just forget it please? It's...it's whatever."

  "We won't let anything like this ever happen again, Mike. We promise." Bonnie said.

  Sighing, Mike nodded, patting the bunny's hand. Deciding to forget the argument, Mike moved so that all three animatronics could see his phone. Jeremy pretended not to watch as Mike found an online version of Lion King.

  Mike yawned when his phone went off for six. He packed up his things; Chica brought a box to put the cake in to take home. Getting up, Mike yelped when the purple bunny hugged him again. He heard Chica bouncing again.

  "I want a hug too! Stop hogging him."

  Mike laughed when he was put down, feeling his face turning red. "Y-you guys.."

  Jeremy was smirking as he walked off to give them a moment. Mike glared after him. But then Chica was hugging him, tight, but not enough to hurt. When she finally released him, the chicken looked at Foxy expectantly.

  "...I ain't a huggy person."

  "Liar liar." Chica laughed.

  Mike rolled his eyes and began leaving. "Come on guys, let's get going."

  They all left for the dining room. Jeremy was waiting, looking bored. In lieu of a hug, Foxy smacked him lightly on the back, muttering a 'see ya' as he went into his cove. Mike waved as Chica and Bonnie headed onto the stage. Exhausted, Mike went to follow Jeremy out.

  "Mr. Schmidt..."

  Mike froze. Some part of him panicked, wondering what Freddy was going to do to him, and the other part felt too cold. He didn't realize he was breathing fast until Jeremy grabbed his shoulder, shaking him lightly.

  "Breathe...breathe you're okay."

  Mike nodded, finally turning around. Freddy was standing there, holding his hat as he refused to meet Mike's eyes. Sometimes he forgot how expressive the animatronics could be.

  "Mr. Schmidt...I, I would like to apologize to you. What I did was..."

  "You nearly killed him and refused to let him go to the hospital." Jeremy sneered.

  "I am aware of my actions, Mr. Fitzgerald. What I did was awful when Mr. Schmidt was only trying to show that he was worth my trust. He was even understanding of my position. I am very sorry, Mr. Schmidt. I know you are weary of me, you may not ever forgive me, but I thought you should know." The bear mumbled.

  Mike stood there, frowning. Could he forgive Freddy? He swallowed hard. Maybe...he thought he definitely could. But right now he didn't want to even look at the bear. "You refused to let me go to the hospital."

  Freddy nodded. "I...I have not felt guilt for my actions before. It is no excuse, of course, but...I thought if you left I would not be able to explain myself to you. I panicked, you see."

  Mike sighed. "...good night, Freddy."

  "Good night, Mr. Schmidt."

  He left, deciding that it was nothing he needed to think about tonight. He wanted to sleep in his own bed, gorge on Chica's cake, and lay around at home. Until those things happened, he didn't care about anything else.

xxxxxxx

    Mike remembered to bring the laptop with him, along with a bag of DVDs. He had to ask his mom for the Disney ones; he was just lucky she kept them. Yawning, he headed for the office, wondering where they'd watch them. It was too cramp here...his battery was full too so it didn't need to be plugged in.

  "Hey Mike!" Chica greeted, coming in. "Did Jeremy tell you? The new parts came in for Foxy!"

  Mike blinked. The blond hadn't. "Has he gotten around to putting them on?"

  Chica nodded. "Some of them. Mostly his chest and arms. He said he'll do the rest tomorrow."

  "That's good. He'll be back in action in no time." Mike smiled before cringing, hand going to his back. "Damn...Chica, can I bother you for something to drink? I have to take medicine."

  "Of course! If you want, I'll bring it to you in the Dining Room. Bonnie's guitar broke and he's pretty upset."

  Mike frowned, getting up. "Okay...thanks Chica."

  He brought his bag out. Sitting on the stage, Bonnie was fumbling with his guitar with Freddy and Foxy trying to help. Well, help in the sense of telling him what he was doing wrong. The bear kept trying to take it away to do a better job.

  "What happened, Bonnie?" Mike asked, seeing that the neck was snapped off.

  "Some kid grabbed it...I think he was a new employee." the bunny replied softly.

  Mike leaned in. It was snapped clear off...and the one of the wires was broken. It was just a prop, but he could tell it meant something to the robot. Frowning, the guard motioned to see it. Bonnie handed it over, watching closely.

  "I think Jeremy could fix it..." He offered.

  "Really?" Bonnie seemed to perk up at that. "I have a spare but...this one's my favorite."

  "Well, use your spare tomorrow while Jeremy fixes this one then." Mike smiled, showing his bag. "Besides, I brought more movies."

  "So many?" Foxy asked, flipping up his eyepatch to look. It was weird to see him without a hole in his chest.

  Mike shrugged. "We might go through them fast...but there's nothing quite like re-watching a Disney movie you know the words to."

  He began pulling them all out, cover side up, when Chica came with his drink. He thanked her, reaching for the painkillers he'd been given and taking them with some of the drink. "We're picking movies Chica."

  "Oooh! There's so many..."

  The three began looking them all over. Mike stepped back, not wanting to get in the way. He glanced over, seeing that Freddy hadn't made a move to get closer, looking confused. Despite the unease the guard felt, he cleared his throat.

  "Uh, they've been watching movies in the office with me...you can pick too. I figure everyone picks one and we'll get through them all eventually." He explained softly.

  "That is very kind, Mr. Schmidt...but I think it’s best that I remain out of it." Freddy mused.

  Mike was curious, but decided not to ask. He'd already pushed himself by talking to Freddy at all. When the three animatronics waved their picks at him, he chuckled and went to see what they picked.

  "Okay...well, we have to pick who goes first..." Mike said.

  "The ol' boy should. He has suffered a tragic loss." Foxy waved his hook at Bonnie, who looked touched.

  Chica grumbled but nodded. "Sounds reasonable...but I get to go after him."

  "Ya think this boy will give it over so easily, lass?" Foxy sneered at her.

  "We'll worry about that later..." Mike grumbled, putting the movie Bonnie had picked in.

  They all piled on the floor. Mike followed, hoping that the cleaning crew did their job. He pretended not to notice Freddy watching as well as he sipped his soda. It was almost cozy, watching a family movie like this. The guard felt a little stupid thinking it, but he couldn't really think of another place he'd rather be.

  Not that he'd ever admit it.


	7. It's Not Worth Losing Sleep

    Mike decided he should bring up what he saw when they were all sitting around the laptop for another movie.

  Foxy and Chica were doing bets on who got to pick the next movie, which Mike couldn't understand and decided it wasn't his problem. It was a little suspicious that the pirate kept winning though. Freddy watched from afar, pretending he wasn't paying attention, and Chica and Bonnie made it clear Mike was to sit next to them.

  Whether because they usually had a lot of questions for him during the movie, or because they liked teasing him when he couldn't stop himself from singing along...he had no idea.

  "Hey guys...I have a question." He said, getting their attention.

  "What is it, Mike?" Bonnie asked.

  He frowned, hoping he didn't sound insane. "Well...is there more of you guys? Then just the four?"

  "Why- why do you ask?" The chicken gave a nervous chuckle as Foxy and Bonnie refused to look at him.

  "Well, I keep getting glimpses at it. It's...it's gold right?"

  The word had an immediate effect on them all. They all stiffened, eyes bleeding into black with only tiny white pinpricks left. Mike stiffened, wondering if he should be ready to run away. He hadn't seen this in a long time; it was even worse when Chica began shaking violently. Eyes wide, Mike hesitated before he wrapped an around her shoulders. He could feel her shell vibrating. It took a bit but she eventually stopped.

  "I'm sorry, forget I asked." Mike said. "Are you alright?"

  "Yeah, I'm okay..."

  There was a glitchy-roughness to her voice. Mike frowned and looked to the others. Freddy had disappeared, and Bonnie and Foxy seemed to be staring off at nothing. They only stopped when Chica said in a loud and forced happy voice that she wanted to continue the movie. The others nodded and so they did.

  Around 4 am, the guard decided to run to the kitchen and get something to drink. He sighed, gently feeling the wound on his back. It still hurt but he decided not to bother with more pain medication. Even so, he got ridiculously thirsty. Grabbing a cup and filling it with soda, he jumped when Foxy entered the room.

  "You okay?" Mike asked hesitantly.

  "Aye...why you be askin' though mate?" the pirate asked.

  Mike sighed, taking a sip. "I got a glimpse of him when I went to the hospital...and if I'm guessing right, he keeps sneaking up on me and whispering things. If it's him."

  "His name be Golden Freddy." Foxy explained softly. "Been around long time, he has."

  "And he's....he's like you guys?" Mike asked softly.

  "Bloke be a bit different. Never plays with the kids, ya see. Guess he was a ol' one, way back in the day." the fox shrugged, itching his chest with his hook. Mike frowned, wondering if that hurt. "The ol' bear says to avoid him."

  Mike nodded, taking another sip. "He died as a child too?"

  The fox twitched oddly, and the guard bit his lip. He needed to really think about what questions he asked before it got him killed. He sighed. "Sorry...I guess I'm not really sensitive to these things."

  "It be in the past, mate." Foxy said. "It be hard, o'course. Sometimes we remember too much. Like earlier."

  "...what happened, Foxy?" Mike asked softly. He swallowed, knowing that he was likely treading a dangerous line. "I want....I want to know. To help."

  The fox chuckled, voice box glitching slightly into static. "We be beyond help, matey. But if ya be wantin' a story, ol' Foxy is the one to give it to ya."

  He looked down at his hook, thinking. Mike was surprised when the fox shut the door, not sure if he didn't want to be interrupted or the others to hear. Some wild part of him wondered if Foxy would glitch; maybe he wouldn't be as lucky as Jeremy and live with a scar. Or maybe, he'd live and be something worse.

  "Years back, we be made. Ol' robots fer kids to enjoy. It be hard to explain, ya see, but...we be both the kiddos and the machines. Sometimes, ya can't even notice yar shifting..." He looked at his hook again. "We be kids. Freddy had a birthday party, ya see. One of the guys there, he paid us special attention. Said we were the nicest kids he ever met. He was dressed in a suit, we couldn't tell the difference...Told us he had something special, since we was so good."

  Mike swallowed, drinking his soda. He knew parts of what happened from what Freddy had said, but...it still left a sinking feeling in his gut. The knowledge that people like that lived in the world...

  "We followed him to a room in the back. No one saw. He locked ta door, told us to be quiet as he rid himself of the suit. Pulled a knife from his pants. He promised it'd be fast, ya know. But I watched him, watched him gut th'boy of Golden Freddy. Watched him bleed out, on th'floor...Ya ever see someone die?"

  "N-no...not in person, not in...real life." Mike whispered.

  Foxy sighed. "They go pale...grey. Eyes glaze over. Freddy tried to wake em, tried to keep em awake as the bastard laughed at us. Then he grabbed Bonnie. Twisted th'knife around in em till he screamed. Butchered em a lil...left em alive when he went after Chica."

  The brunette opened and closed his mouth when the fox hesitated. "He...did he..."

  The red robot slowly nodded. "I...I be thinkin' so. Some parts be harder to remember than others. Lifted her skirt...but then she was on the ground, parts o'her face bleedin'. Then he kept stabbin' her there...I think that be the only time he stopped grinnin'. He was angry, yellin' and spittin' as he mutilated the lass. She stopped movin' and he came at me."

  "You don't have to...go on." Mike offered weakly.

  "Nah...ya wanna know, and...I think it be best if I said it. Bonnie and Chica kept making these...noises on the floor. They bled out slowly, ya see. Chica doesn't remember parts, since she couldn't see..." Mike winced violently at that, feeling sick. "He pushed the knife into me eye. I remember how it felt, scrappin' around. Freddy tried to get em off, but not much he could do. Couldn't see, fell to me knees and I think he started kickin' me. Can't describe what it feels like, how it hurt. Brought the knife down on me a few more times before I died."

  Mike didn't dare say anything. Foxy was looking off to the side, remembering. The guard couldn't imagine, but he still felt sickened by the story. But he took a deep breath to calm himself down; what right did he have to be sick when Foxy had experienced it? That they all had experienced it?

  "So...the suit he wore...?"

  "A gold one."

  Mike nodded slowly. "Forgive me then, for bringing it up earlier."

  "Yar a strange one, boy. For the many years we been around, never thought I'd be seein’ the day we could interact with a human again." Foxy mused.

  Mike wanted to ask again about Golden Freddy. Why he kept talking to him, why he seemed to think that Mike could do something. But he decided now wasn't the time, as Foxy kept staring off to the side. Hesitating, he put a hand on the fox's arm. The animatronic barely acknowledged it, twitching briefly before he sighed.

  "It be best if ya get ready. Almost mornin'."

  "Right...thanks, Foxy."

  He watched the fox leave, sighing as he waited. It felt wrong to know what happened that night. But Foxy trusted him to know. It felt like it had changed the settings somehow. Made it...too real. Shaking his head, the guard decided to brush that off and went to pack up his things to leave.

  He'd get his answers another night.

xxxxxxx

  "So, what's goin on? You'd never wake up before ten unless you needed something." Jeremy asked, eating some fries.

  Mike looked up from his burger, blinking. "Oh...uh, well, I wanted to ask you something."

  The blond huffed. Mike was amazed that someone could eat fries that aggressively. "You couldn't just ask me over the phone? I gotta get some fucking sleep, man. Finally fixed Foxy."

  "Well, did...wait, you did??" Mike gaped at him. "He's completely fixed up?"

  "Yeah. Bastard made it hard, kept fighting me. Tried to run away a few times. But he's finished so if you want to keep being a fucking idiot, you can ask about him being in the show again." Jeremy shrugged.

  "Wow...thanks, Jeremy."

  The other snorted. "Don't be a fucking idiot okay? Now what did you want?"

  "Well, I keep hearing a voice...like, a straight up ghost voice or something. It keeps talking to me and following me around. I asked about it, but it had...a bad effect on them." Mike sighed. "You ever see a gold suit?"

  Jeremy froze. The brown haired guard noticed his hands began trembling. Shit, now he was freaking out about this? Was there anyone he _could_ ask about Golden Freddy?

  "Hey, Jeremy...you okay?"

  The blond swallowed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. You mean the...the slouched over suit right?"

  "Yeah. Apparently it's called Golden Freddy...I keep seeing him. I wondered if you knew anything about him." Mike explained.

  "Not really. He'd appear in my office, slumped over. He never attacked me." Jeremy sighed, scratching at his scars. "Was fucking terrifying though. Why he's bothering you I have no idea."

  "Well...I asked if he was one of the children that was killed. And he was."

  The blond sighed heavily. "You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"

  "Yeah, I know. I just needed to make sure..."

  "Mike, it's great you made them into some kinda...fun-loving kids of yours or something but you're getting in too deep. I like them, far more than I'd like since they almost killed me and fucked me up good. But you gotta stop. Their...curse or whatever it is isn't your problem." Jeremy argued.

  "But it is! If I can help them, why shouldn't I?" Mike demanded back.

  "Because you're dealing with shit you can't handle! You think you can handle ghost kids and possessed animatronics and child killers? You can't. Stop babying them, they're just going to turn on you."

  Mike sighed heavily, finishing his burger. "It's not your problem, but it's mine. I made it my problem."

  "Then you're going to die." Jeremy said seriously.

  Mike shrugged. "Then I die. Didn't you say it's not about getting out alive?"

  The other man scowled, rushing to his feet. Mike winced, wondering if Jeremy had snapped and was about to punch him, but instead the blond threw some money on the table and left. Mike sighed again, watching him go. Maybe he was in too deep, but he refused to back out. He would help these kids...though he hoped that didn't mean losing his new friends.


	8. Not Hear All Night

  "You're absolutely sure about this, Mike?"

  The guard looked up from where he'd been staring off. He was uncomfortable; he had to wear a suit, which hung off him oddly since Jeremy had thrown it at him and they weren't the same size. And being in a big office space like this was weird for him. But even if it seemed like Freddy's wasn't doing well, threatening closure, they had to show off.

  "Yeah, I'm sure."

  Mr. Lansdale sighed. He seemed nervous. Then again, meeting the head of the company wasn't something you did every day. Mike knew he was. Swallowing roughly, Mike checked his watch again. Almost two. He wasn't expecting such a late meeting but he considered himself lucky to get one at all.

  "Mr. Lansdale and Mr. Schmidt?" The lady behind the desk called. "Mr. Fazbear will see you now."

  Lansdale got up immediately, Mike following. They were led to a fancy door with a gold plate that read 'Mr. A. Fazbear, President' on it. She let them in without a second glance and the guard followed the manager inside. A huge desk was set in front of the company owner, a large set younger man with dark brown eyes and black hair with ebony skin.

  "Keith, Mike. Please sit down."

  Mike did so, trying to not look out of place. The chair he was sitting on would likely pay for a few months rent at his apartment. "Thank you for seeing us."

  The president waved a hand. "I was curious really! I've never had a request set forward to have Foxy fixed. I didn't even know he was broken." At this, he gave Lansdale a look. "So Mike, I'm told this is your idea."

  "Uh, yes sir. I thought that getting Foxy back in the show would help make more money. And, well, the kids really miss him..." Mike explained, feeling his face get warm.

  "That explains why productivity is down...And Foxy's completely fixed now?"

  Lansdale nodded. "Yessir! Uh, our new mechanic fixed him. Mr. Fitzgerald, sir?"

  Mr. Fazbear nodded. "The guy who broke in, right? Well, if nothing else, at least he's fast."

  "Jeremy's been dedicated." Mike added, trying not to twitch when they both looked at him. "I, I talk to him a lot. Once I asked about Foxy he got him done as soon as the parts were sent."

  "Hmm...well, tell me Mike. You've worked at the restaurant for what? Three weeks?" Mike flushed and mumbled 'eight'. "Either way, you're the longest guard we've had there. I'm to assume that Pirate's Cove needs help then too, if Foxy needed a mechanic?" Mr. Fazbear turned to Lansdale.

  "It, well...we, we put the ship into storage and it...uh, it was broken sir." The manager mumbled.

  The president sighed heavily. "Fine. Get it fixed by the end of the week."

  "What? But sir-"

  "And you, Mike," The man went on. "We currently don't have one in the restaurant, which is against policy, so I'm going to promote you to Head Guard. We finally have a Day Guard again, so we finally have our bases covered. I'll need you to come in tomorrow at eight to talk to the new guard. Basically you're just introducing yourself, but if he has any questions you'll be answering them."

  Mike blinked, feeling overwhelmed. That seemed to happen a lot since taking this job. "A-a promotion? I uh...thank you?"

  "Of course, if Foxy doesn't bring in revenue, then we'll be closing and you'll lose your job. So I suggest you make sure that doesn't happen."

  "Oh, don't worry sir! We'll make sure Foxy is a hit. I'll get his ship fixed and we'll start posting flayers about his return as soon as I get back to the office!" Mr. Lansdale said. Mike noticed he was sweating.

  "Good, good. Then I think this meeting is over. Mike, if that ship isn't done and Foxy's not up by Monday, call me." The president gave him a serious look and Mike swallowed.

  "Y-yes sir."

  He nodded. "Good. Then Melissa will show you out."

  Clearly dismissed, Mike and Mr. Lansdale got up. The guard, now Head Guard, followed the manager out of the room. 'Melissa' gave them both a card for the President and motioned for the door without looking at them. Mike blinked; the card had the owner's number. Should he feel honored or frightened?

  "I don't know why you want that damn fox fixed...but Mike, this could cost us more than our jobs. If it malfunctions like Freddy did on you..." Mr. Lansdale looked pale.

  "He won't. You'll see." Mike answered softly.

  He didn't look convinced. "Whatever you say. Just be in by eight."

  Mike watched him drive off. Sighing, he got into his own car and went home to get some sleep before work. Chica had asked for more movies, preferably with singing, so he needed to start searching for more. He should probably call his mom too. He'd never gotten a promotion before.

xxxxxx

  "Don't be such a show off." Chica huffed, glaring at Foxy as he leapt clear over a table. "You're going to break something and Jeremy will have to refix you."

  Mike wasn't sure if he should interrupt. He grinned when Foxy ignored her and jumped over another table. It was a little unnerving; he hadn't realized that Foxy could do that fixed, so if he was still being hunted, he'd be fucked. But seeing how happy the fox was, he easily shrugged it off.

  "Can you jump over two tables?" He asked, raising an eyebrow when Foxy grinned almost evilly.

  "Don't even think about it." Freddy cut in from the stage. "You make a mess and I'll make it so Mr. Fitzgerald _can't_ fix you."

  "Yall be a bunch o'no fun barrels." Foxy grumbled.

  Freddy gave him a look and went back behind the curtain. The guard almost sighed in relief. He and the bear were still careful not to be near each other, and he wanted to keep it that way. The others needed him anyway, so Freddy could wait. Yawning, he set his bag down and dumped out the movies.

  "Where's Bonnie?" Mike asked.

  "Bunnyboy be in the back. Think he’s lookin' at somethin." Foxy answered.

  He was taller, with his legs and feet covered. Glaring up and down, Mike ran a hand through his hair. Grumbling, the guard told them to sort through the movies and he headed for the back room to find Bonnie. He should probably grab the tablet anyway.

  "Bonnie?" He called, peeking inside.

  "Hey Mike. I saw someone come in here before closing; I think they left you this."

  The bunny was holding a box. He seemed reluctant in handing it over. "Hmm...maybe this is for my promotion..."

  "You got promoted?" Bonnie looked excited. Mike flushed.

  "Y-yeah, today. Head Guard. I'll be coming in at eight to meet the day guard and talk to him." Mike smiled, opening the box. "I was surprised, I mean...I guess it makes more sense for me to be a guard than the new guy but I've never gotten a promotion in my life before. Yep, new uniform."

  They were a lighter shade of purple than the old one. The hats were mostly black, and there was a name tag and a badge with his new title on it. The name tag, however, had a name already written. Frowning, Mike pulled out the first shirt. It was crisp, newly cleaned and pressed.

  "....Scott...? Who's Scott?" He whispered.

  Bonnie looked just as confused. "Like I said, we don't usually learn their names."

  A previous head guard then. Shrugging, Mike put it back in the box and got up to grab the tablet. He paused though, chest tightening. His eyes stopped on the phone.

  No....

  He...he finally had a name.

xxxxxx

  He was more than relieved that Freddy wasn't around as he made his way into the back room. It was unnerving, being surrounded by parts and empty heads. It was stupid of him to even consider; it'd been weeks since he'd last heard the night four call. Phone Guy-Scott-would've been long since...cleaned up.

  Still, he felt like he owed it to the man. The one friendly voice in this place, the first person to try to help him not be another mess to bleach from the carpets. It felt ridiculous to be so upset; Mike had never met the man. Sighing, he reached out a shaking hand and turned tilted the head.

  Empty.

  Swallowing, he set it back and went to the next one on the shelf. Empty. Again, empty. Empty, empty, empty. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was stupid of him to even try, he decided as he kept going.

  "Who are you looking for, Mr. Schmidt?" Freddy asked.

  He jumped, heart racing. Freddy was taking up the only exit, and it was difficult to not panic. "...The guard before me."

  "...he was around a long time. A busboy, I believe the term is called, then a guard, head guard. It was almost a shame when we finally got him. Imagine my surprise when I hear his phone coming from your office that first day..." Freddy looked almost thoughtful.

  Mike sighed. "I wondered who he was...now I get to wear the clothes he died in."

  "Don't be so dramatic, Mr. Schmidt. If it was those clothes, there'd be patches in them."

  Oh...well now he felt ill. He must've looked awful, because Freddy looked almost guilty. Take a deep breath. Hold it. Exhale. Mike covered his face into his hands and tried to calm down.

  "Forgive me that was...uncalled for."

  "...did he scream? Cry? Did he have family?" Mike wiped his face with a sleeve, feeling the sick feeling leave and leave a cold numbness he was growing too familiar with. "The only person in this place that tried to help me, and it...didn't even matter."

  Freddy seemed to be looking for a way to explain. Sighing, the guard kept going. There was one head left, on the lower shelf. Bracing himself, Mike tilted it.

  Empty.

xxxxxx

  The place was pretty empty so early. Freddy's opened at eight, but kids were in school. Sipping some coffee, Mike looked around at the waitresses preparing the tables, talking, a janitor cleaning up some spilled soda. The kitchen was full of people, if the sound of them talking or yelling gave any indication.

  It was weird, looking through the cameras and seeing people. It was even weirder that the day guard wasn't here yet.

  He needed to be stern, he mused. Even if children weren't here yet, a guard still needed to be here and overlooking the store. If someone broke in and threatened the staff, it'd be on their head. And of course, it never looked good to be late anyway.

  "Pleasedon'tbeinyet, please please..." Mike almost smirked as a man rounded around the doors and paused. "Crap. Um, sorry I'm late..."

  "Mike Schmidt." He greeted, standing and shaking the others hand. "You're?"

  "Mark Pliers. The manager called me ten minutes ago and told me you'd be here. I completely, I mean...he never mentioned it, not that I'm usually late!" The man was sweating nervously. "But, but the other manager said not to rush in since there's never any reason to be here until nine."

  He had dark brown, almost black, hair swept over. He kept combing his hand through it, obviously why it was styled like that as his other hand gripped his hat. He had bright brown eyes and thin glasses. The uniform seemed a little small on him, coming an inch above his wrists.

  Mike shook his head. "It's alright."

  He handed over the tablet and gave him the seat. Mark sighed in relief. "Thanks. I really can't lose this job. I already had a close call a few days ago, I thought I could help the Janitor and of course I broke something..."

  "You're the one that broke Bonnie's guitar?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "...yeah. That was me, sorry. I was told not to worry since they had a spare but then the mechanic guy grilled into me pretty good."

  Mike smiled at that. "Jeremy? Yeah I asked him to fix it."

  He sat there, overlooking what Mark usually did. There wasn't much to really do, until Mr. Lansdale came in and asked them both to go on to the floor. Mike sighed, needing some sleep before his shift but the manager muttered about overtime. Good. Rent was coming up.

  "Wonder why they need us...it's only nine." Mike wondered, glancing at his watch.

  Mark shrugged. "Sometimes he asks me out to help if we have a birthday or if there's a line..."

  They both looked dubious though. The odds of that happening seemed unlikely. But then Mike beamed, seeing a huge wooden ship on wheels. It was big enough for at least ten kids, and had treasure boxes that at the moment were empty. Instead of a mermaid, there was another fox at the front.

  "Wow....what's this?" Mark asked, gaping.

  "Captain Foxy's ship." Mike answered and went to help.

  Jeremy was on the top of it, looking at something. His face was covered in dust and dirt, but he was glaring at whatever it was he was doing. Mike hopped up on board as well, looking around. There were a few holes still, some dust and grim.

  "Shit!" Jeremy's hand flew up, and Mike was surprised to see blood. "Motherfucker..."

  "You alright?"

  The blond looked surprised to see him before scowling. "Yeah, the edges are sharp. Nicked myself pretty good is all...gimme a hand."

  "People, get to cleaning. We have until tomorrow to have this thing cleaned and ready for Monday." Lansdale said. A lot of the cooks looked surprised. "We're bringing Foxy back after fixing him for any glitches or bugs. Fitzgerald promised he's good to go."

  "Like fuck I did..." Jeremy muttered under his breath. Mike ignored him and helped wrap his hand.

  "We're bringing that thing back...?" Someone asked.

  One of the waitresses looked pale. "Didn't it attack someone?"

  Jeremy stilled, gritting his teeth. Mike shook his head. It wasn't worth it. "Lots of holes that need fixing." The blond pointed out instead.

  Mark looked excited as he got on the ship as well, looking around. Jeremy's scowl deepened. "What can I do?"

  "Jessica, go get some hot water, two buckets. We need to scrub the outside first until the holes are patched up." the manager ordered. "We're not opening until eleven today. We need to get this done."

  The guard wanted to sigh. Seemed he got roped into this as well then. Jeremy showed him and Mark how to seal the holes, since he'd pre-cut the wood for the holes and they were measured for the different ones. Mike was amazed that he could do this when he majored in machines and computers, but decided it wasn't worth mentioning.

  "You better not break anything." Jeremy hissed at Mark, waving a drill at him. "I mean it, a guitar head is one thing. You break this fucking boat-"

  "Ship." Mike corrected.

  "- _boat_ while I'm trying to get that lazy ass fox ready and I will hide your dead body inside it, _got it_?"

  Mark looked panicked as he nodded and went to begin drilling the holes. Mike sighed, trying to shake off the comment. The blond seemed to calm down as he went back to what he was doing.

  "Sorry. Shouldn't have worded it that way....you alright? You looked like shit."

  "Fine...got promoted." Mike said.

  Jeremy nodded. "I heard. Grats and all that shit. But you still look like shit. Freddy been giving you a hard time?"

  "...no. He's been staying away. Just..." Mike hesitated. Jeremy would understand what he was feeling, wouldn't he? He'd had the phone calls as well. "The...the phone guy. Found out his name, since I'm wearing his old uniform."

  Jeremy stopped what he was doing. Mike didn't meet his eyes. "...fuck..."

  "Yeah, basically. I just...He asked me to find him. In his messages. I was too afraid to do it, what if I did find him? But I tried last night and....and he's gone. Did they just throw him away? He'd be left with old food wrappers and I just..." Mike shook his head.

  "...This is terrible timing..." Jeremy sighed, running a hand through his hair. It left behind streaks of dirt. "When we picked this thing up, there's a huge storage lot they use. Found some interesting things while I waited for them to load this up. I...I was going to bring them in tonight. But it can wait-"

  "What did you find?" Mike asked desperately.

  Jeremy sighed. "I think they're old tapes. They were hidden among some old plushies and..."

  He looked pale. Mike hadn't noticed with all the dirt but looking at him now, he was definitely pale. A knot was in his stomach. What had he found?

  "And they thought it'd be fucking funny, okay? Didn't even realize...they still don't they're too fucking up their own asses, and they put her on!"

  Mike opened his mouth but Jeremy was already up on his feet. He tried to grab him but missed. The engineer stalked over to the front and Mike cursed as he followed, hissing at him to stop. He ripped something off despite Lansdale shouting at him.

  A white fox head was in his hands. It looked old, but still had a shine to it. Pink lipstick and eyeshadow surrounded its features; there were no eyes though, and the maw only had one set of teeth, sharp and tilted. Mike grabbed Jeremy's arm, but he threw the head down on the ground and raised a foot.

  "Okay, I think you need a break!" Mark cut in, kicking the head away when Jeremy went to smash it. "Come on; let's get you something to drink."

  The two guards ushered him towards the kitchen despite him struggling. "She destroyed my life! Let go you fuckers, let go! She destroyed _everything_."

  "Jeremy, stop, you're going to get fired." Mike said, wincing when he was elbowed in the gut.

  "Fucking fire me then! Stop trying to keep an eye on me, you sleezeball. They're just waiting for me to snap again and I'm going to give them what they want." the blond sneered.

  The kitchen was mostly empty. Unfortunately Lansdale followed them, red in the face. "Fitzgerald, what do you think-"

  "You put the thing that almost killed me on that fucking ship and then want me to fix it?! Are you _fucking me_? Why bring her at all, you greedy piece of-"

  "M-Mangle's the one that bit Jeremy, sir. He's, uh, having an episode." Mike cut in, feeling guilty when Jeremy glared at him.

  "...oh...I always assumed, I mean..." Lansdale sighed. "Calm yourself down, Fitzgerald. And thank Mike you still have a job. At this point, he's the only one corporate will listen to anyway..."

  The guard flinched when the door was slammed shut. Jeremy was still breathing hard, but he didn't fight them anymore. Mark let go, getting him a soda and Mike put a hand on his shoulder.

  "I'm sorry...I was preoccupied with Scott, I didn't..."

  The blond let out a deep breath. "That's his name, huh?"

  "Yeah..."

  They fell into silence. Mark handed him the drink and Jeremy sipped it slowly. The head chef ignored them as he prepared dough for the day. Mike watched curiously. He'd seen Chica cook, but she made everything from scratch. But then the chef grabbed a bin and Mike realized it was the food Chica prepared for them the previous night. He felt almost proud.

  "You, uh...you okay?" Mark asked hesitantly.

  "Let me go smash that fucking bitch and I'll be fucking fantastic."

  The younger guard sighed. "I'm going to go back to work."

  He walked off silently. Mike knew he should follow but hesitated. Snorting Jeremy waved him off. "Go ahead. I just need a moment. Blood pumping too fast and all that. I'll faint if I get up right now."

  Nodding, he got up and left. Mike rubbed his eyes, sighing and feeling exhausted. What was going on? Weren't things meant to improve? But he brushed it all off for now and helped the others in getting Foxy's ship finished. Between them all, it didn't take long. Once he rejoined, ignoring the looks, Jeremy said he'd paint it tonight.

  The two came in together. Mike wearing his new uniform and Jeremy finally cleaned of dirt. He was carrying five things of paint, grumbling about the restaurant being a bunch of cheap asses.

  "Thank god I picked up some red bull...." Mike said, shaking his head. "You need any?"

  "Probably. Ask me in an hour."

  Once the clock hit midnight, with Mike and Jeremy painting the ship, neither were surprised when Foxy burst from Pirate's Cove and wailed happily, circling the hunk of wood. "Me ship! I got me ship back~"

  "Stop shrieking and help!" Jeremy snapped at him, looking like he might throw a brush at him.

  "Can't you just dump the paint on it?" Chica asked.

  Bonnie looked almost offended. "Do you want it to look like a hunk of trash?"

  "Children please." Mike cut in gently.

  "...if Mike's the mom, does that make Jeremy the dad?" the chicken asked, confused.

  Foxy snorted. "I be demandin' a test!"

  "He should remarry then. He can do much better." Bonnie added, nodding to himself. The other two nodded with him.

  Jeremy twitched. "I can program them to think they're teakettles. No one would know."

  "Then I want a divorce." Mike pointed a brush at him.

  Chica was awful with paint, it turned out. She got covered in it, making Jeremy blow up about needing to stop to clean her up when they were already busy. The two went into the kitchen to hose her off, leaving Mike to look after Bonnie and Foxy. The fox was very precise, obviously since he loved the giant prop, and Bonnie apparently took painting almost as seriously as his guitar.

  "Perfect." Foxy announced as they finished up around four. "Couldn't've asked fer better mates to help me."

  Mike wiped off some paint on his cheek as Bonnie eyed it over one last time. They both frowned when the fox cleared his throat, all the happiness draining.

  "I just...need one more thin', lads." He whispered. "Take her off please."

  It took Mike a moment. Finally he sighed, realizing what Foxy meant. "You wanna do it?"

  "Nay, Mike. She was me first mate...looked after me when I be scrapped. I can't...not like this."

  Nodding, the guard went to the front where Mangle was posed. She still had no eyes, and only an exoskeleton besides her head. It was obvious pieces of her were missing. Bonnie looked sad as they began pulling her off; lucky screws were nothing for the bunny and it had no obvious effect on the ship.

  "I take her." Foxy said, cradling the form. Her head rolled bonelessly against his shoulder. "Thanks mates."

  He went into the cove. Mike had no idea what he planned on doing with her, but decided he didn't care. Mangle meant more to the fox than a prop to be used as an attraction. Shaking his head, Mike stretched and went for the kitchen. Jeremy was scrubbing at a pieces of paint that seemed to refuse to leave from Chica's front.

  "Aww, you're done?" She whined.

  "Sorry Chica."

  "There...finally done. I can't believe how messy you guys are." The engineer got up and threw the rags into the sink. "The thing all finished then?"

  Mike nodded. Jeremy seemed relieved as he sighed. There were dark bags under his eyes. "...still got those red bulls?"

  The two humans sat at a table sinking their energy drinks as Freddy and Foxy moved the ship into the cove. It took some maneuvering, but the robots made it seem seamless. Mike hid a smile when he noticed Bonnie was sitting on top, hiding from the two.

  "Children, all of them." Jeremy muttered. He yawned. "I put those tapes into the office. Under the desk so newbie doesn't look through them."

  "Thanks...I'll listen to them later." Mike said.

  "Mateys, come take a looksie!" Foxy called from the cove.

  Sharing a look, they both went inside. The ship was pressed against the wall. Around the base was a fake beach. They even had a little fountain for the sea water. Mike was impressed as he looked around. The sand was plastic, but he never expected real water.

  "Impressed?" the fox grinned.

  "Great, he's already getting an ego..." Bonnie mumbled.

  Freddy righted his hat and made for the door. "Just remember to be ready. Monday morning and you'll be entertaining the children again. No more mistakes."

  "Course not~ None from this ol'boy."

  "Almost six...let's make sure everything's cleaned up then and head out." Mike said, rubbing the back of his stiff neck. "Sunday can't come fast enough."

  "Don't worry about it, Mr. Schmidt. We will finish cleaning up, you and Mr. Fitzgerald look like you should leave." Freddy cut in gently. Mike almost flinched. "You both need rest. We appreciate all your help."

  Jeremy glared at him but just sighed. "Whatever. Come on, Mike, let's get some fucking sleep. I have four hours before I'm back in here."

  Frowning in sympathy, the guard followed him out. He waved at Chica before heading out. He and Jeremy went their separate ways and he was too happy to pass out in his apartment. Any stress of the day faded almost immediately.

xxxxx

  "What if they don't like me?? It be so long now, I hasn't looked them over in years."

  Mike didn't know robots could have panic attacks, but he had no other way to describe what Foxy was doing. He frowned and patted the fox's back gently. They were hiding on the finished ship, the chests full of toys and fake swords and pirate clothes. Tomorrow was Sunday and then Foxy was going to be in the show Monday.

  "Really, Foxy, you'll be great. Jason loved you when you were full of holes, I don't think you'll have a problem." The brunette smiled when Foxy perked up slightly. "You gotta make the others proud, but you also gotta have fun."

  "Aye....ye be right, lad." the fox sighed. "I, I be thinkin' of sprousin' the place up. S'cuse me."

  He got up and went into the deck. Mike hadn't even realized there was more. Blinking, he sighed and got up, dusting himself off. It was only one, Foxy had grabbed him as soon as he entered the door. The others were all getting ready for the pirate's return, since apparently he had a part in their skits. There posters up too, all about Foxy's return.

  Mike was so happy. He considered coming in Monday to see the new show, wanting to see Foxy's big return. But he needed to do something first before he felt settled. Rubbing his face, feeling a weariness he hadn't felt since the old times here, he sat in the security room into his chair.

  The box was tucked under the desk. There were a lot of tapes inside, labeled with only like, FFPL#45, 1. Or FFPL#98, 5. He grabbed one labeled FFPL#5, 1 and put it into the phone deck. The ones he'd heard his first week weren't labeled at all. Had Scott done it against the rules to help him?

  _"Uh, hello? Hello, hello! Welcome to your new career as a performer, slash entertainer for Freddy Fazbear's Pizza."_


	9. You'll Find Humanity

  Mike had never seen Freddy's packed before. During the birthday party, there'd been a decent size group, but it was nothing compared to this...madhouse. There were kids running around everywhere, all of them wearing some kind of pirate attire, and there was a line out of Pirate's Cove. The band was playing on stage to a huge group of dancing kids, all of the arcade machines were taken up, and waitresses were running around in eyepatches. That seemed like an accident waiting to happen.

  "Hi, sir." Mark greeted; he was sweating slightly, and instead of the guard cap, had a fake Freddy hat on. "Thank you for coming in, I can't control this mess by myself."

  The elder guard was still reeling slightly from being addressed as 'sir'. "Uh, no problem. I wanted to see it anyway. Nice hat."

  "Mr. Officer!"

  He jumped when something tackled his leg. Blinking, Mike looked down to see a huge grinning boy with missing teeth. "Jason?"

  "I told my mom and dad about Captain Foxy coming back so they let me come see him! He remembers me!" The boy said excitedly.

  "Well of course he does. You're his first mate."

  Jason beamed. The two adults that Mike recognized as his parents came over looking tired. "Oh, hello Mr. Schmidt! Glad to see you made Head Guard."

  "Thank you. Glad that you could be here during the day." He smiled.

  They waved and went on their way back to their table. Mark looked confused, but Mike waved it off. Story for another time. "So what do we need to do?"

  "Make rounds, really. I've already had to stop two teenagers from fist fighting in the arcade, and one kid tried to sneak behind the curtain. Dealing with kids cutting the line for Foxy. It's been hectic." Mark muttered.

  "You wanna go clockwise? I'll head for Pirate's Cove first, you do the kitchen area." Mike offered.

  Mark chuckled. "You're the boss, you can do whatever you want."

  That was a weird feeling. Mike had never been in charge of anything. But he and Mark split up, dodging around the kids as he walked around the edges of the Dining Area. The line of kids for Pirate's Cove was huge, full of children in their fake eyepatches and bandanas. He peeked inside, seeing Foxy on the huge ship with ten kids with him. There was a woman sitting in a chair to oversee the line.

  "No accidents?" Mike asked, wanting to be courteous.

  She looked at him, annoyed, until she saw the uniform. Then he thought she might be pitying him. "Nope, just pushy kids not wanting to wait their turn. Plus they have to wait when he joins the band. It's gonna happen again in..." She checked a clock. "Five minutes."

  He smiled. Foxy noticed him and waved with his hook, beaming, before a kid pulled on his hand to a treasure chest. Relief couldn't cover what Mike felt. It put out of mind the horrible tapes he'd listened to Saturday night.

  "Is Jeremy around?" He asked.

  "Jeremy...? Oh, that angry weirdo mechanic?" Mike hid his twitching. "Yeah, he's been here since opening. Lansdale wanted to make sure Foxy didn't break down midday so he's having him here on deck just in case. He's been hiding in the Security Office."

  "Okay. Thanks, and uh, good luck." Mike said before leaving. She gave him a nod.

  He was near the rest rooms when the lights dimmed. Mark stood near the entrance to the West Hall, so Mike stopped as well. They both scanned around, seeing all the kids either sitting and eating pizza with their parents or standing at the stage.

  "Hey kids! Are you ready for Freddy Fazbear?"

  They all screamed. Mike winced. He had a lot of respect for the waitresses that were weaving through the crowd with steaming pizza and trays full of drinks that didn't even flinch.

  "Good! Then have we got a surprise for you! What do you say, Chica? Should we tell them?"

  Chica pivoted towards the bear. "Yes Freddy!"

  Freddy turned at the waist towards Bonnie. "How about you, Bonnie?"

  "Only if they really want to hear it." The bunny responded.

  Mike felt embarrassed just watching. But the kids didn't seem to notice the stiff way they talked or moved, they were engrossed in watching them. They weren't even whispering. It was really impressive.

  "Well kids? Do you want to see the surprise?" Freddy asked the crowd. They screamed again. "Okay! I want you to meet my friend, Foxy."

  It felt almost like being a kid again. He couldn't help smiling when Foxy leaped clean from the Cove's entrance to the stage, making all the kids cheer. Especially the ones whose heads he jumped over.

  "Ahoy! My name be Cap'in Foxy!"

  The skit was cheesy and cute. Mostly a bunch of jokes, where apparently Foxy and Bonnie had some kind of rivalry, which was odd since the bunny was so...unassertive. Freddy played peacekeeper, and Chica usually was forced into the typical smarter, always annoyed female role. But the kids loved it, and Mike could see that the animatronics did too.

  Once the lights went back on, the curtains closed and Foxy got off the stage. Mike began doing rounds again as Foxy talked with the children. He kept an eye on him, since as the waitresses gave the fox looks, this wasn't part of the routine.

  "Mike, we have a kid who can't find his parents." Mark appeared in front of him, holding the hand of a small girl with red pigtails.

  "That's no good. What's your name?" Mike asked, kneeling down.

  She beamed. "I'm Lessi."

  "What a pretty name! So Lessi, did your parents drop you off?"

  "Daddy did, and he said he was going to get some pizza. And then I watched Freddy but I can't find him." She said.

  Mike nodded, standing up. "I see...well, how about we look for him at the counter together? If he's not there, we can go into the Office and call him."

  "The lass be missin' her parents?" Foxy was suddenly right there. Mike noticed he loomed over Mark's shoulder.

  "Captain Foxy! Can I get a hug?" the girl asked, jumping up and down in excitement.

  "Course me lass!"

  He kneeled down and hugged her. Mark looked confused, looking at Mike to do something. "She got separated from her dad. We're going to go find him at the counter; otherwise we'll have her call him over the loudspeaker."

  "I get to talk to the whole building?" Lessi looked shocked.

  "If you want."

  "I can bring her, Mike. I mean, since you're Head Guard you should probably keep patrolling right?" Mark smiled, taking her hand again. "I don't mind. We can get her a soda too while we look."

  Mike hesitated. He wished he could be surprised when Foxy suddenly threw out his hook into Mark's chest, stopping him from walking away. "I gotta be disagreein' with ya, boy. Lil lass stays with Mike."

  Mark looked shocked, likely wondering how the robot could talk like that. "Um...?"

  "Don't worry about it, Mark. I'll help her, and I'll grab you something while we're up there. You can take first break once I get back." Mike said in a rush, not wanting something to happen. There was a sudden tension, and he knew that they were being watched.

  "Do I still get a soda?" Lessi asked.

  Foxy grinned. "Aye, o'course ya do!"

  Great. Mike wanted to sigh but bit it back as he nodded to Mark to go ahead and leave. The younger man looked confused and irritated but left. Once he was gone, the brown haired man nodded to Foxy, who headed for the Cove, and took Lessi to the counter where everyone ordered pizza.

  She found him immediately. He was standing there with a large pizza and drinks, looking around. Mike explained she'd been looking for him, and they continued on their way. Mark then took his break, and after that, Mike took his. Sighing, he went to the Office.

  "Hey. How long you stuck here for?" Jeremy asked, flipping through cameras.

  "I have like, an hour. I'll take a quick nap at home before tonight." Mike sat next to him. "Anything interesting?"

  The blond shrugged. "No blood, no screaming so I guess that's a good sign."

  "...did you see Foxy wandering around?"

  "Of course. The asshole was doing it probably because I told him not to. Should just wire him so he can't leave the fucking cove." Jeremy grumbled.

  Mike shook his head. "He's just excited."

  "You coddle them too much. We're dealing with bone-crushing possessed robots. I don't think they need you sucking their dicks." The blond said.

  "I am not-why do you even say shit like that?" Mike glared at him. "They're friends of mine, you know."

  "Your friends let Fazfuck stop you from going to the hospital." He pointed out.

  Mike sighed. "Really? Fazfuck? Did you come up with that on your own?"

  "Of course. Worked on it all night." Jeremy rolled his eyes.

  The guard just heaved a sigh. "You're an idiot."

  "Mike, you back here?" Mark peeked in. "Lansdale wants you to go so he doesn't have to pay you for another hour. Also you mind explaining why Foxy acted like that?"

  Jeremy gave him a look of 'told you so' if he'd ever seen one. Mike chuckled nervously. "Uh, well, the animatronics are pretty protective of the kids."

  "Okay, and I'm an employee. It's my job to look after them too. Why wouldn't he trust me? And he's a robot, why can he just...talk? They have prerecorded messages."

  "Newbie, stop right there." Jeremy cut in. "You're going to turn around, leave and pretend nothing ever happened."

  "But-"

  "I'm not fucking around. Do it." The engineer snapped.

  Mike sighed. "Really, Mark, it's better that way."

  Mark looked between them both. "Seriously, what the hell are you guys-"

  "If I have to throw this fucking tablet at your face, I will." Jeremy said.

  Mike stood up. "Well, guess I should be going. Gotta sleep before my shift. Night guys!"

  He rushed out, briefly hearing Mark calling for him. He punched out and went home, collapsing on to his couch. He didn't even get a chance to talk to Jeremy like he wanted. Cursing, he decided he was too tired to walk the five feet to his room and ended up sleeping on the couch.

xxxxxx

  Mike rubbed his temples as he sat on the ground. He felt a huge migraine coming, and he wished desperately for some painkillers. It certainly didn't help that Chica and Foxy were arguing and shouting at each other above him. About a movie. About a stupid fucking DISNEY movie.

  "Guys, please."

  "Mike, tell him we aren't re-watching that! We just watched it!" Chica said.

  "Don't ya make him fight yur battles! It be my turn, and I pick this." Foxy snapped.

  Mike groaned. "Shouldn't we be celebrating?"

  "Aye, and since I be pickin', I celebrate with this."

  "We just watched it!"

  "This argument better be over when I come back." Mike said, getting up and heading for the kitchen. "If not, no one watches anything and we'll all just have to stare at each other all night."

  He got himself something to drink and went through the first aid kit. He sighed in relief when he found some painkillers. He took them and kept drinking, wanting to give them a chance to kick in before he rejoined the others. It wasn't even one, and he was starting to wish the night was over.

  "Mr. Schmidt?"

  He jumped, cursing when he spilled liquid all over the floor. He grabbed a paper towel and began cleaning it up, trying to pretend having Freddy nearby wasn't nerve-wracking. "Sorry."

  He heard the bear sigh. "I shouldn't have startled you. But I've come to talk with you, Mr. Schmidt."

  Shit. This had to be about that kid from earlier. He got up, throwing away the wet towels and nervously faced the huge animatronic. He wondered if he'd have to go to the hospital this time as well.

  "What about?"

  "I watched you today, with the young girl. We have never had such a busy day in many years, I'm afraid, and you could've taken advantage of the situation, especially since Foxy entrusted the child to you." The bear looked almost confused. "And yet, you didn't."

  Okay, he hadn't been thrown against any walls yet. Good sign. "Like I told you, Freddy. I'd never do that."

  He watched as the animatronic nodded slowly. "You...must understand, Mr. Schmidt. Back then, it was...it was the same. We were so easily lost into the crowd; no one even realized we were missing until closing. We weren't ever found. When we woke up, it was..."

  "You...you asked if I could forgive you before." Mike said softly. "I knew I could when you asked. I can't understand of course, but I..."

  They fell into silence. Freddy still terrified him; he'd nearly killed him even besides the incident with Jason. He'd made it clear he wanted Mike dead many times. But despite that, he was still here. Maybe Jeremy was right and he was getting in too deep, but the feeling of this being his friends, this was his _family_ , only grew.

  "Mr. Schmidt, allow me to personally thank you then. For everything; keeping us open, protecting us, restoring us, _loving_ us..." Freddy smiled. For once it wasn't frightening. "Thank you, Mr. Schmidt. My family is my life."

  The guard felt his face getting warm. But he smiled and nodded, jumping slightly when the bear offered a hand. Nervously, he shook it. He didn't shake like Foxy did, nearly ripping his arm off, but a barely there shake.

  "They mean everything to me, Mr. Schmidt. And I cannot tell you what it meant to me to see Foxy again in the show today."

  "I don't think I could describe it either. But thanks, Freddy." He said.

  It seemed so simple. Fast. He'd never thought that Freddy would come to him like this; the bear seemed too proud. But then again, the animatronics kept surprising him. He smiled to himself. Clearing his throat, he threw away the empty soda cup.

  "You think they're done arguing yet?"

  Freddy raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought you were getting to know them better."

xxxxxx

  "You better be fucking grateful, okay? Foxy already wore out the new wires in his wrist from swinging around those stupid fake swords. Why even make that a thing? That's asking for your kid to be impaled or loose an eye."

  Mike rolled his eyes. "I'll bring it up with the safety inspectors."

  "Don't be a smartass with me, Mike. You take that away from me, and I'll have nothing left." Jeremy said.

  He'd managed to convince the animatronics to do something on their own tonight. And he was so relieved when Jeremy reluctantly agreed to come in. He knew it wasn't fair to the other man but he needed someone to share this with. He couldn't wrap his head around it alone.

  "Alright then, what's this about?" The blond asked.

  He sighed. "I went through a bunch of those tapes you left. I think....I think you might need to hear them."

  He pushed both buttons so the doors closed. He ignored Jeremy when he complained about them again, grabbing the five tapes and putting one into the tape deck. He rubbed his eyes as the exhaustion caught up with him. He'd been dreading the information on them, and yet he kept pushing it off. But now, there was no ignoring it.

  "Is this going to piss me off?" Jeremy asked.

  "...probably."

  It was horrible, re-listening to them. To hear that voice again, sounding so casual. It was far older than the tapes Scott left him and he could tell that something had happened between them by the way he talked.

  "Motherfucker..." Jeremy whispered to himself. "They made some to be _worn_? I mean, with Golden Freddy, they just took out the shit inside..."

  The guard blinked at that, and paused the tape. "...are you sure?"

  "What, you think he was one to be worn? I guess he's been around forever. Wouldn't really be surprising..." Jeremy frowned, thinking.

  "But what does it _mean_?" Mike asked.

  "Keep playing them. I wanna hear the rest."

  He hesitated only for a second. Then he pressed play and let Jeremy switch them when each tape ended. He watched Jeremy's face as he scowled deeper and deeper from each tape. They sat in silence when the sixth and final tape played, trying to think over what they'd heard.

  "A secret fucking room..." Jeremy whispered. "I'll bet you fucking fifty bucks that's where those kids were killed."

  Mike nodded. He'd had the same idea but hearing it from Jeremy made it too real. "I think so too. If they sealed them all then that explains why we've never seen it. Because you'd think they'd put the night guard into a room the animatronics couldn't enter."

  "Yeah right. These shady asses, there's no way they'd be smart enough for that." The blond muttered as he sighed.

  "I wish we could find out when these were made. Scott's been with the company for a long time."

  Jeremy scratched as his scars, eyes narrowing. "So...basically, they made shitty suits to wear and be robots, but because they were shitty they started killing people. And they decided to put them all into storage rather than admit anything was wrong, while sealing the safe rooms and refusing to let anyone ever talk about those rooms. I knew these were greedy assholes but fuck."

  Mike frowned. "But what does it mean?"

  "For us? Shit all." Jeremy got up. "Just put it outta mind, Mike. We found out where the kids were killed but that's all. There's nothing else we can do."

  He nodded slowly. He figured, since what else could they do? The room was sealed and gone; no one knew where it was. And it wasn't like they could find anyone and ask. He felt a bit better that Jeremy had heard the tapes as well though. It made the dread fade away.

  "Thanks for coming in here to hear these." Mike said.

  Jeremy snorted. "Knowing you, you were angsting over these, right? You're an idiot. You already know from listening to them that there's nothing we can do."

  Mike sighed, getting up and opening the doors. "I know...but it feels wrong knowing."

  "Just get out there to your weird robot fetishes and let me go home for the night."

  Scowling, Mike followed him out. He checked one of the clocks, seeing that it was already three. He walked Jeremy to the front door, waving as the blond left. Now what to do. He went back into the office, looking through the huge box of tapes, looking at all the labels. He felt almost lost.

  He'd made friends with Freddy, after so long. He'd helped the restaurant get back on its feet apparently. But what did that all mean? Had he fulfilled whatever that thing in the freezer asked? How would he be able to tell? He sighed. He wanted to help those kids, and yet he was worried about what would happen to the animatronics. Would they be the same if the kids passed on? If they healed?

  "What do I do now?" He asked himself.

  "Mike, are you alright? You look upset." Bonnie suddenly peeked into the office. Mike only jumped a little.

  "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Bonnie." The bunny stared at him, making the guard frown. "What?"

  "Foxy said he told you about what happened to us. It doesn't bother you, does it?" He asked.

  Mike blinked. "What...? No! Well, it does in the sense that it's a disgusting waste of life and that guy is a sicko. But not about you guys."

  He hid a chuckle when Bonnie looked relieved. "We were worried maybe you'd leave."

  "Why would I leave?" Mike asked, confused.

  "Mike. We're robots possessed with small children." Bonnie rolled his eyes at him. "We all tried to kill you."

  "I think you're hanging around Jeremy too much. You're picking up his habits." Mike chuckled. He ducked his head when the bunny gave him a look. "What? You even have his sarcasm down."

  "I'm way wittier than Jeremy." Bonnie glared at him.

  Mike hesitated. "I gotta give you that one..."

  "Still...you seemed really down lately. Especially since he came over for something. What happened?"

  "...We found some tapes, leaving instructions is all. They're all from the guard before me. I never met him but he tried to help me out." Mike sighed. "He left stuff for Jeremy too, back at the other place. I thought he needed to hear them."

  Bonnie frowned, looking at where Mike pointed, showing the robot the box of tapes. He then looked at the ones the two humans had been listening to before snorting. "You showed him the wrong ones then, Mike."

  "What?"

  He moved aside as Bonnie began going through the box. Mike watched him curiously, taking the offered items once Bonnie suddenly had six of them and looked at the labels. FFPL#14, 1. He switched it into the tape deck and pressed play, ignoring the bunny when he sat down to listen as well.

  _"Uh, hello? Hello, hello! Uh, hello and welcome to your new summer job at the new and improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Uh, I'm here to talk you through some of the things you can expect to see during your first week here and to help you get started down this new and exciting career choice."_

  "I don't like him." Bonnie decided.

  Mike gave him a deadpan look. "Hush."

  He ignored the rest of Bonnie's thrilling opinions as he listened through the rest of them. The purple bunny finally quieted down when they heard something about rumors. And things seemed to worse; an investigation. Mike remembered what Jeremy had said about them arresting a killer but him getting away with no evidence. So then. This was all about the missing children.

  "Fredbear's Family Diner...?" Mike whispered to himself. "What is that?"

  Bonnie shrugged. "No idea."

  Frowning, Mike switched to the last tape. It felt wrong when he heard Scott's voice wavering. He and Bonnie both tensed when the once guard mentioned a yellow suit. And then Scott taking the night shift. It all fell into place in ways Mike didn't want them to. He rubbed his eyes, sighing.

  "Right after this Mangle bit him...?"

  "Yeah. We weren't there, obviously, since we were in the back. But they brought Mangle back there and she just kept...glitching. Foxy tried to help her but then they took her and the other toys away." Bonnie explained softly.

  Mike nodded. "Did you guys get along with the toys?"

  "Of course. They were part of our family..." The bunny hesitated slightly, rubbing his left arm. "When they removed my parts for Blu, he said it'd be okay because since he was so beautiful that he'd take care of them."

  "...kind of an asshole thing to say..." Mike grumbled.

  Bonnie shrugged. "Blu was always like that. He meant well, he just wasn't sure how to say it."

  Mike hummed. "So...everyone got along?"

  "Yeah. Toy Freddy really looked up to Freddy, always trying to learn from him about how to better entertain the children. Toy Chica was awful in the kitchen, but she really loved watching Chica cook and she tried to learn. And Mangle was Foxy's first mate."

  "And then you had Blu?" Mike smiled.

  "We both played guitar. He was usually pretty full of himself, but he was overprotective. Especially of Balloon Boy." Mike raised an eyebrow; he'd never heard of that one. "Freddy said they were scrapped."

  The guard sighed at that. "Were they...like you guys?"

  Bonnie shrugged. "I don't remember. A lot of things are muddled from that restaurant, Mike. I remember Jeremy, for the most part. He yelled a lot. But he kept disappearing from the room sometimes, and we couldn't find him."

  Mike remembered Jeremy explaining the Freddy mask he wore. He thought it'd be best not to mention to Bonnie that someone had gutted a Freddy head and let a person wear it. Might not sit well.

  "Well, even though he's a huge asshole, I'm glad you didn't find him."

  The robot looked torn. "I guess."

  Mike put away the tapes. He wondered if Jeremy would want to hear them again. But then again, it wasn't like working at Freddy's was enjoyable. And especially since afterwards he nearly died and had his life changed. But he'd remember the number, just in case.

  "Are you going to listen to the rest of them?" Bonnie asked.

  The brunette shook his head. "There's no reason to."

  "Well, Foxy ended up making a mess in the kitchen so Chica's making us all fix it. You might want to keep hidden in here until we're done." Bonnie said as he went to leave.

  "You were hiding away in here?" Mike grinned, snorting. "Thanks for the warning."

  He watched the other go, sighing as he checked the cameras. Four already. He couldn't wait to go home and get some sleep now that he didn't feel so...put upon. He then froze. A sudden chill went through his entire body as he stared down at the camera in his hands. A grinning yellow bear stared back at him.

  "What...?" He whispered.

  **"Hello Michael."**

  He jumped, tablet falling to the floor. Sitting slumped on his desk was Golden Freddy.


	10. Evil Never Dies

  It was hard to explain what it was like, staring at the unmoving animatronic. There was a pressure on the back of his eyes, an itch in his brain. The chill was worse now, his teeth were chattering and his skin was covered in goosebumps.

  It didn't feel _right_ but he didn't dare look away.

  "G-Golden Freddy?"

  Its eyes were completely black, only tiny white pinpricks staring back at him. It was nothing like when the other animatronics stared like that. It was impossible to tell what it was thinking or where it was looking, but Mike knew it was watching him.

  **"You are so close now, Michael. It's time I ask for your healing."**

  Mike gaped. "Wha...what do you mean?? What's going on, I helped the others right?"

  **"You have. The spirits got their revenge but couldn't move on. But you, you made them heal from their hatred and they can finally rest. But you have just one last child to help. Just as I told you that night."**

That night...? Mike swallowed roughly. He remembered. When he woke up after Freddy attacked him, and he'd heard a voice. It was impossible to not recognize. Golden Freddy had always been there, that's why he'd asked the others. It didn't surprise him but it was still unnerving to physically see him up close.

  Wait...one last child? The guard felt himself pale. No. He'd thought it was Freddy, when the thing in the freezer had said he was close and had one more child, he'd meant Freddy. Hadn't he? But as Golden Freddy sat there, the itching in his skull increasing, he knew he was wrong.

  "What do you need me to do?" He asked softly.

  He tensed when the gold bear twitched. **"The bathrooms."**

  "...bathrooms?"

  **"Go there. I will show you."**

  Mike blinked and he was gone. The pressure, the chill, everything left. He sat there a moment, wondering if that was even real. What if he was hallucinating? But he knew that wasn't it. His legs shook violently when he stood up.

  He made sure the tablet wasn't broken first. It had a small crack but he put it on the desk and decided to worry about it later. Once he was sure his legs could support him, he ran down the West Hall towards the bathrooms, not wanting to run into anyone.

  The bathroom halls were dark. The chill returned immediately, and he rubbed his shoulders desperately. Propped against the wall was Golden Freddy; Mike had to do a double take, thinking maybe someone had passed out there all night. The animatronic was so eerie.

  **"Here."**

  Mike frowned, looking around. "What....what's here? What do you need me to do?"

  **"Break the wall, Michael. We need closure."**

  What did that mean? Mike hesitated before pressing his hands against the wall. As he slid them around, he wondered if this was a dream. Maybe he'd hit his head? But then he felt a difference in textures, where the wall bumped out ever so slightly. He swallowed. He found a safe room. What was in there? Proof of the killer's actions? He'd finally bring them peace, and he might lose his new friends from it.

  But Mike couldn't be selfish. Not about this. He frowned and backed up slightly before kicking the wall. He hissed, hopping away. The wall was strong...he'd need a weapon to break it. Maybe a knife to carve it out? But as his phone vibrated in his pants, he realized it was six.

  "How...it was just four..." Mike turned and sighed when he realized Golden Freddy was gone. "Thanks...lotta help you were."

  He went back to the office and got his stuff together. He then hesitated. If he opened that wall tomorrow...this was the last night he'd see the animatronics. They might turn back into ordinary robots. They might even stop working. It was a horrifying feeling. He cared about them so much, and he could lose them to _help_ them.

  Foxy said that they were separate. He'd just have to find out.

xxxxx

  Mike looked around, making sure not to bump into any of the kids. It was still insanely busy inside Freddy's, even though they closed in an hour. It was good to see, of course, but it made Mike's job harder as he headed for the back room.

  "-fucking serious. Do it again, I'm not fixing it. Ever. I don't care."

  "Ain't me fault they be tough warriors." Foxy complained.

  Mike raised an eyebrow, watching Jeremy kneeling down in front of Foxy, flashlight in hand as he looked over the ankle joint. Seeing him, the fox perked up, grinning. He was hushed by the engineer.

  "Don't fucking move."

  "Aw, but Mike-"

  "Don't. Fucking. Move." Jeremy hissed.

  Mike sighed, looking between them. "So, uh, what's going on?"

  Jeremy grabbed a wrench and began unscrewing the fronts of Foxy's legs, revealing the endoskeleton inside and some wires. "This asshole keeps fucking around and messing shit up. I was about to leave but no. No, he has to start jumping off that stupid ship of his until something comes loose. Scared the shit out of the kids."

  "Okay, maybe I be a little too excited..." Foxy grumbled, looking guilty at the last bit.

  "If you keep making Jeremy fix you, the company's going to start getting upset. I know you're excited, but when you break down the kids can't see you." Mike said.

  "Aye, ye be right."

  Jeremy sighed. "I've been telling you the same shit all day, fucking...favoring robots..." He pulled away. "Done. Get back to work."

  Mike moved, rolling his eyes when Foxy grinned and ran out. He then sighed, waiting as the blond man cleaned his hands off on a rag, wanting him to say something first. Finally Jeremy looked at him, eyeing him.

  "Something fucked up happened didn't it?"

  "Yeah...I need to borrow some tools for tonight." Mike answered, running a hand through his hair. "Something that could break through a fake wall."

  Jeremy froze, staring at him. "...you found it?"

  "Not...not quite." He looked around nervously. The odds that Golden Freddy would be there was ridiculous but...he didn't want to take any chances. "Golden Freddy appeared. He's the last kid, and he asked for my help. Showed me where the wall was."

  "The fuck does he want?" Jeremy demanded, looking pale.

  Mike shrugged, sighing. "I think there's something in there that proves who the killer is. He said something about...closure."

  "So you gotta break down a fake wall where the kids were killed and find something in there that proves who killed them..." The blond sighed. "Sounds like a fun night ahead of you."

  "Yeah, real thrilling. If you can't give me anything I can ask-"

  "I'm coming with you."

  Mike paused, mouth opening and closing. "What? Jeremy, come on..."

  He put the tools away. "These fucking kids were killed in my building when I worked there. They then nearly killed me. They ruined my life. I think I get to be there when you pull some magical friendship bullshit to fix this."

  "We don't know what's in there." Mike argued.

  "Really? You're going to argue having someone there to help you?" Jeremy sighed, giving him a hard look. "Mike, you don't know what's going to happen. Say you give these fuckers peace. What then? What if they're still pissed off and go after you? What if they think you're the guy that killed them?"

  "Then I get the fuck out of there." Mike said.

  "Either you shut up and let me come with you or I ignore you until I show up to help anyway."

  The brunette sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Okay whatever."

  Jeremy smirked. "Was that so hard? Anyway, I gotta go punch out."

  Mike waited for him. They grabbed the tool box and headed for the Security Room. Mike was surprised when he didn't see Mark, but pushed it off. They sat there until the place closed. Once it hit eleven, they got up and Mike led Jeremy to the bathroom hall.

  "Here. If you feel this area..." Mike did so, and Jeremy copied. "It's a fake wall."

  "Yeah it is...holy shit." Jeremy began feeling the wall and Mike moved so he could feel around.

  The blond man went into the tool box, mumbling to himself. He pulled out what looked like a knife, and a hammer. Mike jumped when he kicked the toolbox towards him. Frowning, he looked through it, pausing when he found a flashlight.

  "You hold that. There's no way the room's gonna have power."

  "Okay..." The guard mumbled.

  He watched Jeremy as he began apparently mapping out the frame of the door. He was mumbling still as he moved his hand a few centimeters before he put his finger against a spot. "Grab a pen in there would you?"

  "Yeah." Mike did so, marking the wall for him. "You think we'll be fired?"

  He snorted. "Maybe we can blame it on kids. Or the assholes themselves." He then paused, sighing before he began hammering the knife-like tool into the wall. "So...I understand you wanna investigate this fast as possible but why not have the assholes themselves help you?"

  "What do you mean?" Mike asked, frowning.

  "Get the fucking bear to beat this wall down! Or the rabbit, you guys seem like buddies." Jeremy glared at him. "So why aren't we waiting for them?"

  Mike sighed. "...they might stop working...if the kids find peace. I guess I'm a coward, but I can't just...watch them go. I thought about talking to them about it, but I don't want them to stop me. I don't want to be selfish about this."

  "So instead you'll take away any choice on their part. Alright."

  Mike scowled at him. "What should I do then?"

  "Fucking tell them what you think could happen. We don't know shit for sure, they don't, so shouldn't they be prepared? They could say good bye even. I don't like the fuckers, but you do. And they certainly like you, so why _not_ say fucking good bye?" Jeremy waved the hammer around wildly as he talked.

  "Either keep hammering the damn wall or let me."

  The guard huffed when Jeremy went back to cutting into the wall. He knew he had a point, but he wanted this to be done. It was selfish of him, maybe even cruel. He refused to deny a part of him was doing this because he was curious. He wondered if the animatronics would forgive him, if they were still... _them_ after this.

  "Ow!"

  Mike jumped. "You alright?"

  Jeremy pulled away from the wall and nodded, rubbing his wrist. "Yeah, I'm fine. Found the doorway."

  He motioned to a large hole he'd revealed. There was a hint of old wood, covered in white dust and plaster. "You have anything that I could help you?"

  Jeremy tossed him the hammer. Mike squawked horribly when it flew passed him. Sighing heavily, he picked it up and began hammering while Jeremy began measuring where the opposite frame would be and began carving it out.

    Once there was an opening, the plastor fell easily. Mike was breathing hard, but the wall crumbled before him. The only really difficult part was when it came to the top of the door. They moved a chair to help them reach, having at least half of the door revealed.

  "...what the hell are you guys _doing_?"

  They both jumped, Jeremy pointing the knife (he kept calling it a chisel but Mike was sure you didn't make them that big) in a defensive stance. Mike felt a bit silly holding out the hammer when Mark gave them a look like they might be insane. But then the younger guard lit up, eyes wide when he spotted the door.

  "Whoa...you found a hidden door??"

  "Newbie what are you doing here?" Jeremy demanded.

  He shrugged. "You guys were acting weird yesterday, and then I saw you talking earlier. So I may have conveniently hid away to spy on you. What is this?"

  Mike felt his heart racing. This was not good. He checked his watch, cursing when he saw it was 12: 08. The animatronics were definitely out, likely going to the Security Room to see where he was. He'd brought Jeremy the first time, but Mark wasn't supposed to be here.

  "Mark, I swear I will explain everything to you tomorrow. Really. But you have got to leave now." Mike begged him. He didn't want the other to even get a glimpse of the robots in case he was attacked or frightened.

  Jeremy made a noise and went back to working on the fake wall. "He's an idiot. He doesn't want to listen it's his problem."

  "Jeremy-"

  "I'll leave if you explain. Give me an abridged version." Mark said. "You guys know something that's going on. Ever since Foxy's return, he's acted weird around me! The others think I'm insane, but he _does_. What's going on?"

  Mike watched Jeremy kick off the bottom section of the plaster, thinking. "Okay...okay, then I'll make this quick. Then you really, really need to leave." Mark nodded. "The animatronics are sentient. They wander during the night, and they're extremely hostile. I've befriended them but they will seriously kill you if they see you here."

  Mark stared. The brunette almost groaned; there was no way he was going to believe him. "Oh....so how am I going to sneak by them?"

  "....youactuallybelievemethankgod..." Mike looked around. "If, if I go with you I could stall them if they're th-"

  All three of them gagged suddenly. Jeremy covered his nose with his sleeve as he backed away from the door; he'd opened it slightly, and a smell none of them could describe came wafting from within. Mike's eyes watered violently as he looked away, even if that wouldn't help.

  "W-wha...t...is that?" He managed to get out. He gagged again from trying to speak.

  Mark ran into the bathroom. They heard him retching and spitting. Jeremy shoved the door close with his foot. It helped slightly but the stench was still very much there. Mike wiped his face and even wiped his tongue on his shirt; he could _taste_ whatever that was.

  "Mike..."

  He nodded. Once he'd calmed down, he recognized that scent. He'd smelled it a few times when he was small, walking down the road and noticing road kill. Rot, decay, death...He knew that they'd found something horrible. And Golden Freddy wanted it revealed.

  "What is that?" Mark asked when he returned. His face was red and he'd splashed water on it since his shirt was wet.

  Jeremy ignored him. "Mike....fucking seriously, what if it's the kids? Are we supposed to like, bury them or something for that stupid bear? Bring them to their parents?"

  "Hey, calm down. We don't know yet." Mike said, turning on the flashlight. He saw the blond relax slightly. "We're going to look. Well, I'm going to look. You guys can stay out here if you want."

  "You're not going in there alone." The engineer grumbled. Mark nodded.

  "It could be unsafe."

  Jeremy glared at him. "You don't even know what's going on, Pliers."

  "Yeah, because none of you assholes _told_ me. So glad I was watching animatronics that would kill me. No wonder I had to sign a waiver..." Mark ran a hand through his hair.

  "We told you to fuck off before, remember?"

  Mike ignored them. He used one hand to cover his nose with his shirt again and opened the door. The two groaned loudly at the sudden onslaught and hissed at him for not warning them. Taking a deep breath, he turned the flashlight on and began slowly entering the room.

  It was decent size. Beyond the rotting smell, there was something stale hanging in the air. There were boxes upon boxes everywhere, papers scattered around. Jeremy and Mark followed closely behind, Mark using his phone to light up more area.

  "It's somehow worse in here." Jeremy said.

  The guard nodded slowly. He paused, looking over one of the papers. It was a poster...a yellow bear, obviously Golden Freddy. And dancing next to him was a yellow bunny. It looked a lot like Bonnie, though the design seemed different. Moving to the next paper, it was drawings of the two. And again. And again. Everywhere, the two golden animatronics were plastered on posters and drawings and even a headline that he couldn't make out.

  "Who...?"

  "GUYS."

  They both jumped, turning towards Mark. He was in the far corner, staring down at something behind a box. Even with half his face covered, he looked sickened. Horrified. Mike rushed over, nearly tripping on a moldy piece of something. Jeremy was right behind him, and they both froze next to the other guard.

  It was slumped like Golden Freddy usually was. What had once been a shiny golden color had rotted into a greenish sickening color Mike had never seen. Patches of fur were gone, and an odd pattern had formed into its hard shell. Pieces of that were even missing, revealing its endoskeleton and wires and...

  "...are those fucking bones?" Jeremy whispered.

  Mark swallowed. "I think...I think that's rotted flesh...no, not anymore. It's what's left of once rotted flesh. I've never seen...and, and I think the human part stained it?"

  They both looked at him. He flushed slightly. "Medical school."

  Oh...useful. Mike turned back to the bunny. One of its ears were missing, some of its finger tips. The lips were gone, revealing its flat teeth in their entirety. It looked to be constantly grinning. The guard wondered why Golden Freddy had brought them here when Mark began approaching it.

  "Idiot, don't."

  "Shh, don't freak me out more than I am..." Mark hissed back as he kneeled down next to the form. He looked around the floor. "These are definitely blood stains...And there's evidence of blood on the thing itself. Shine the light this way."

  Mike scowled but did so, giving him more light. "What is it?"

  "Bones...looks like the metal and wires pierced through them." The younger guard shuddered.

  "Painful way to go..." Jeremy frowned. "There's no way it's a kid. This thing is too tall. You can see bones where his feet are."

  It was horrible, looking. The metal of its feet were exposed, far worse than Foxy. And there were sickening rust red colored pieces of metal. He didn't even know blood could stain metal. Had someone been stuffed into this one then? Someone important enough that Golden Freddy would want him to find...

  "Should we move it?" He asked.

  Jeremy gave him a disgusted look. "Are you _insane_? You think any of us are going to touch that thing?"

  Mark nodded, getting up. "We need have gloves if we're going to touch it."

  "Okay...well, I guess I should go to the security office. If...if he shows up again I can ask what we're supposed to do with it." Mike mumbled softly to himself.

  "You guys go ahead. I wanna look at these papers." Jeremy waved them off. "Maybe these things have some kind of clue about what happened."

  "Don't like...get sealed in here then." Mark whispered.

  The blond gave him a dry look. "Relax. Me and the rust bucket will be fine."

  Mike hesitated. "I...I really need to argue. We don't know what happened here, what that thing is, who’s in it. Or what it can do. We should all go together."

  "And see that fucking...thing slumped there?" Jeremy demanded angrily.

  "Yes. Because it's better than something happening in here."

  He could tell the other was having some kind of debate in his head. Jeremy finally sighed and nodded. "Alright...we should both be there anyway to explain...him."

  He motioned to Mark. The dark brunette glared back. But Mike nodded; it was a good idea. The animatronics might not like Jeremy all that much, he made it clear he wasn't fond of them, but they trusted him. If they both stood up for Mark, it shouldn't be a problem.

  It was so amazing, being away from the smell. They closed the door and headed for the Security Room. Mike made sure to go first, pausing when he noticed that Chica was in his seat, Bonnie and Freddy on either side.

  "What're you guys doing?"

  "We were looking for you. We were worried when you weren't here and Chica decided to start looking through the cameras." Bonnie responded, perking up when he saw him. He then frowned, looking at Jeremy and then Mark.

  Mike swallowed. Chica and Freddy both looked as well, and he swore their eyes began darkening. "Uhhh....guys! You know Mark, he's my....um, what's the word...I'm his superior. So, uh, shit kinda happened, Golden Freddy appeared and made him reveal a hidden door, we found something inside and we are kinda stuck as to what to do."

  Freddy's eyes narrowed but didn't turn black. "Golden Freddy approached you, Mr. Schmidt?"

  "Yeah. He showed me where this room was. So I'd really appreciate if you guys ignored Mark being here so we can handle this. Because according to Golden," Jeremy snickered slightly, mumbling about him sounding like an asshole. "We can like...heal the kids from this. I don't know what that means, but the thing in freezer said it was a good thing."

  Wow, saying it together like that made him sound insane. Bonnie and Chica shared a confused look but Freddy nodded. "I've wondered if this day would come. The children finding peace is something we've been wanting for many, many years."

  "Okay, that's good. Mike freaked out for nothing then." Jeremy said. Mike glared at him.

  "Why?" Chica asked.

  Mike flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I...I wondered if the children passed if you guys would...break down or stop being what you are? So I thought maybe I shouldn't help but then I didn't want to be a giant asshole."

  "That is kind of you, Mr. Schmidt, but you should've just asked us. We do not know what will happen exactly, but we appreciate your concern." Freddy chuckled.

  "I, uh...I don't mean to cut in or anything." Mark said suddenly. "But um...I think the smell from the room is stinking up the whole restaurant. I can smell it again?"

  Mike paused only for a moment. He shared a look with Jeremy who'd gone pale and they both nodded. "Mark, get in here. Freddy, shut the door."

  They both listened without hesitating. Mike shut the left door and took the tablet from Chica. Bonnie peeked over his shoulder. He began looking through the cameras, pausing at the bathroom area.

  "Holy shit..." He whispered.

  The toolbox was knocked over. Tools were littered everywhere around the hall. Mike's hands began shaking. Jeremy began pacing despite the tight fit, Mark sitting up on the desk to not get in his way.

  "There's no way that thing is moving...It was _broken_. It had pieces of itself on the ground! Did we wake it up?"

  "If it's like them..." Mike trailed off, thinking.

  "You found something like us?" Chica asked.

  The guard swallowed. Jeremy took the tablet from him, looking frantically through the cameras. "There was an animatronic in there. It, it had someone inside it, rotted away and melded into the suit. We must've woken it up." The nerves only increased when the three of them shared a look. "You...you know what I'm talking about?"

  "Mike..." Jeremy's voice was hoarse. He stuck the tablet into his face.

  It was nearly impossible to see it. Almost below the camera, peeking up, was the rusted bunny. Its eyes were glowing in the dark. Mike had a feeling that it was letting them see it; tormenting them. Hunting them.

  "No...nononononono..." Chica began shaking, her entire shell trembling violently.

  "Not again..." Bonnie whispered.

  Mike looked away to stare at them. "Hey, you guys alright?"

  "Through the vent. Go on." Freddy ushered them to a vent Mike had covered up with some boxes. He then looked at the guard while the two piled out. "Forgive us, Mr. Schmidt...we, we cannot stay. Not with him here."

  "What? You're leaving us here like sitting ducks?!" Jeremy snapped.

  "Believe it or not, Mr. Fitzgerald...even we are afraid of something."

  Freddy left as well. It should've been comical, seeing them squeezing through a vent. But Mike could only throw himself down into the chair and try to stop his shaking. He didn't understand, but they did. Whatever that animatronic was, they were afraid of it.

  "What is going on...?" Mark asked. Mike jumped, forgetting completely that he was there. "You, you said the robots were sentient. Why are we being hunted by one? Why are they afraid of this one?"

  "Because this is how it was before Mike pulled some friendship crap on them." Jeremy said. He began pacing the now bigger area. "We'd have to play this shitty game with them, trying to survive. Feels, feels like old times."

  He stuttered once. Mike felt sick. He'd never seen Jeremy so unnerved. Off balanced. But he had gotten away from this...now he was forced back into this horrible job. Mark was curled up on the desk, looking around frantically. Jeremy kept checking the cameras again, green eyes jumping around the screen.

  "I can't find this asshole..." He whispered. "He's hiding. How can he tell where the cameras are??"

  "Stay calm, and just...let me try."

  Mike took it when Jeremy finally relinquished the tablet. "And why the hell are they afraid of it!? They're robots too; I don't see why they can't be out there knocking this thing's head off or something."

  "What would they be afraid of though?" Mark asked curiously.

  "It's gotta be whatever that thing is..." Jeremy's mumbling continued as he paced still. Mark glared at him since he was still stuck on the desk. "What though? Some dead guy is decomposed in that thing."

  "You mind giving me a run down since we're stuck here?" Mark asked.

  Mike blinked, pausing from flipping through the cameras. "Oh...yeah, I guess that's a good idea."

  Jeremy quieted down, half listening as Mike went over what the animatronics were, including the children incident, the killer, Golden Freddy, healing the spirits...it felt weird to hear summarized. He then paused, eyebrows furrowed. He felt like they were missing something.

  "Why can't it be that Phone guy then?" Mark asked. He looked a little pale but seemed to be following along.

  "The rooms were sealed too long ago...we don't know when, but..." Mike frowned.

  "Oh...so you don't know why the yellow Freddy wanted you to see that room?"

  The guard shook his head. "No idea."

  "But...but the posters...." Mark tapped his chin. "If in those posters were this yellow Freddy, then that thing is what? They were in the same posters, so they were made together. Like the four here. Yellow Freddy and yellow Bonnie maybe?"

  "If you call them yellow one more time I'm going to beat your ass." Jeremy mumbled.

  Mike rolled his eyes. "I guess that makes sense..."

  "So what though? Shit happens to them. Most of them were scrapped six years ago." The blond said.

  "I dunno. I'm throwing ideas out there since I haven't been a part of this." the younger guard shrugged.

  "But if they were partners...and they've always been sentient..." Mike stopped, frowning. "I seriously can't find this guy, Jeremy, it's like he's disappeared-"

  Jeremy screamed. Mike and Mark jumped to their feet, eyes wide when the blond was suddenly on the ground. Mike grabbed his arm, pulling him up but a gold hand around Jeremy's ankle began pulling from the vent despite the engineer's kicking. Two eyes stared back at him.

  "Mark, help!"

  Mark grabbed his other hand. They pulled, ignoring Jeremy as he hissed. And yet, despite them both using all their weight, the bunny robot easily began dragging the blond into the vent. Mike looked away from the vent, staring at Jeremy. The blond looked back, face pale.

  "Jeremy, I promise, I'll get them to come after you and you'll be okay, I promise. Just get away from it, okay, you'll be fine."

  Jeremy gave a nervous chuckle. "Y-you're an awful liar."

  "Jeremy-"

  The robot gave a yank. Mike scrambled to grab the other again when he was pulled out of his grip. The blond man's nails dug into the tiled floor, but he was gone. Cursing, Mike got up and shone the light at the vent. He didn't see either of them. Panicking, he went to open the door.

  "Mike, we have no idea where they are! We can't fight that thing." Mark pulled him away. He struggled. "Look at the cameras, see if you can find him."

  His hands were shaking. Mike grabbed the tablet from where it had fallen, flicking through them wildly. When he still didn't see them, the panic became blinding. He threw it on the desk and went for the door again.

  "Close the door behind me."

  "Mike, don't! You're both going to die and I don't know how these things work!" Mark begged him.

  Mike hesitated. He ran his hands through his hair. No...Jeremy was fine. He'd done this before. He'd gone against eleven animatronics, what was one? He rubbed his eyes and nodded slowly. Mark relaxed slightly, face pale as he stared at him. They both jumped when something tapped on the glass.

  "Jeremy?"

  The robot bunny stared back. It seemed to be closest to Bonnie's height, easily pushing past seven feet. The frozen grin on its face widened as it stared at them both. Mike swallowed roughly, wondering if Jeremy had gotten away.

  _"I..."_

  "Did it talk?" Mark whispered.

  There was an almost static noise. _"I...am....S-S-Spring..."_

  Mike heard something in the way it spoke. Something old, besides the static, like listening to an old record. But he couldn't really pay attention; every time it twitched, there was a glimpse of something...

  _"I...am...S-Spring....trap. WelCOMe to....F-Freddy's..."_

  "Springtrap...?" Mike scowled. "I seriously doubt you were originally named that."

  It tilted its head. _"W-w-welcome to, Freddy'sssss...I....will huuuurt you."_

  A chill went down Mike's spine. "Give us back Jeremy."

  _"N-nice...uniforrrmmmm..."_ The tips of Springtrap's fingers dug into the glass, cracking it. _"Come out, p-p-play with me."_

  "Is the robot talking or is it the dead guy inside it? That's how this shit works right?" the younger guard asked. He jumped when Springtrap twitched almost violently.

  _"Sssssssnivling....bratzzz..."_

  Mike's eyes narrowed. It was definitely the spirit talking. He'd never seen this though; the others never let the child spirits take fully over or talk...Or if they did, it was impossible to tell. But something told him that this wasn't the animatronic itself.

  "Where's Jeremy?" He demanded, taking a step towards the window. "What did you do with him?"

  _"W-whoooo?"_

  "Jeremy! The guy you just took!"

  "Don't keep talking to it, Mike, the things' not all there..." Mark mumbled, glaring at it. "So let's keep trying to find that yellow bear."

  Springtrap twitched again, more violently this time. The window cracked further, lines spreading across the glass. _"T-they won't find the p-p-piecesssss of you..."_

  "Lot of big talk from a corpse."

  Mike pulled Mark away when the window shattered. The bunny reached inside, letting out a horrible screech as it tried to grab Mark's throat. When they were out of reach, Springtrap growled and stalked off. They slowly relaxed once they were sure it was gone.

  "We need to destroy that thing...I don't know if it'll shut off at six like the others." Mike whispered.

  "That thing is...it's smart. We need to think of a plan to kill it."

  Mike looked down. He spotted the tablet, screen mostly broken now. A brief thought went through his head of being more than fired, but he shook it off. Frowning, he picked it up.

  "I...I think I have a plan, Mark...but we might die even if it works."

  He could tell the other was frightened. But Mark nodded shakily. "If it gets rid of that thing, I'll do whatever it takes."


	11. But The Soul Still Lives

  "You're checking the poster right?"

  _"Yes, Mike. Jeez give me a chance. Nothing's happening, okay?"_

  Mike swallowed, looking around frantically. "Kinda...kinda risking my life here okay?"

  The restaurant had never been this...looming. Oppressive. Before, he'd just sit in his office and hope that he'd die quickly. But as he snuck around, praying that he'd spot Springtrap before it did him, he found that even if he knew the place, there were shadows and creaks in the floor he hadn't known about. And it could get him killed.

  His heart was hammering in his chest. Everything hurt from being so tense. He was in the East Hall since he had more places to hide there, and maybe even a way out if that thing found him. He hesitated when he went to grab his phone; Mark was on the other line. It was foolish, since if Mark made any noise at the wrong time, he'd be exposed. But they _needed_ to be in contact for this to work.

   _"He's in the Dining Room. Dear god, he moves so weird I don't like this..."_

  "Don't be a baby. Foxy's jaw used to flap those damn teeth around when he ran at me."

  He could imagine Mark scowling at him. _"So sorry I'm not used to killer robots. Maybe if you gave me thirty fucking years..."_

  "Language. You're sounding like Jeremy."

  He almost paused. No, no thinking about it. Jeremy was fine; he was likely hiding somewhere and waiting for six. Mike quickly ducked behind the door frame to the Dining Room. He could hear Springtrap's footsteps, the clattering of exposed metal on the carpet floor. He kept making these odd noises, groans almost, that sounded so different than how he spoke. But it gave Mike's idea more merit.

  "Hey! Hey rust bag! Come here I got a fucking question for you!" Mark suddenly shouted down the West Hall.

  Mike stopped breathing. He strained his hearing; there was dead silence. Like Springtrap was considering if he should humor Mark or not. Then more footsteps, thankfully going down that hall. Once the clattering grew louder on tiled floors, Mike went for the kitchen.

  He locked the door, breathing hard. It was metal, but flimsy. If the robot was as strong as it seemed, it wouldn't keep it out. The guard flipped the light switch and ran for the freezer. Everything rode on two very large pieces of luck; it was time to see if his survival so far meant anything.

  "Please be here." He begged as he shoved the door open. "Please, please help me. I did what you asked, I'm trying my best, but I can't stop that thing."

  Frozen pizza, hundreds of tins of pizza sauce, meat and vegetables...And there it was. A huge box, so out of place in its rugged scratches and chipped wood. Mike almost sobbed out of happiness as he fell to his knees next to it. He found the crank and began winding the music box, begging softly under his breath.

  _"Ew, not so close please. I can still smell you."_ Mark's voice came from over the phone. _"So, uh, how you doing? Good? Still...hunting us I guess?"_

 _"Whyyyyy sstaalll?"_ Springtrap's voice was even worse over the phone.

  _"Stall? Who me? Nah, I wanted to get to know...you. Um, so am I talking to the dead guy? You're not that guy Mike really liked are you? Something about phones?"_

  Something made a loud crash over the phone. Mike froze, wondering if Mark was dead, but the younger guard gave a nervous chuckle. _"Okay! Okay I'm sorry. No...specific questions. Fine, alright...um, still you got a name? Besides Springtrap, cuz that's more of...what you are."_

  'Pop Goes the Weasel' began playing. Mike backed up, eyes wide as he waited. They needed this to work and quickly. He just hoped that it wasn't about to kill him and leave Mark and Jeremy on their own.

  _"Uhh, please don't do that. It's kinda freaking me out..."_

  There was a quiet screeching. Metal on metal. Knowing the layout, Springtrap was likely scratching at the doors. Mike took a deep breath and then the music ended. Hesitating, he opened his eyes.

  He barely bit back the scream. Whatever he thought this was, it wasn't...this. The white mask and empty eyes stared back at him, looming above him. Its long arms were holding itself up on the box and after seeing that Mike was frozen, it began moving its legs from the box.

  "Please help us. Golden Freddy said to get into that room for closure but I can't stop this thing on my own." Mike begged.

  Jeremy had once talked about the Marionette. About how it gave him these horrible hallucinations that followed him home. About it's... _presence._ And as he sat there, the guard understood too perfectly.

  The velvet voice was so quiet, and yet now able to see its face, made the voice so much worse. "Michael, you're almost there..."

  "I, I get that but what do I _do_? Who is that thing? Am I supposed to expose it, fix it, what?" Mike demanded. "I, I don't wanna rush you guys but one of my best friends might be dead and Mark is dealing with this on his own."

  The Marionette didn't move. "We thought we destroyed him, Michael. Used his paranoia against him. So when we came back, we gave him a place. But he always comes back."

  "...who...?"

  "Our killer."

xxxxxxx

  Mark was trembling. He knew it probably looked ridiculous, and Springtrap seemed to be grinning more than before like he knew he would. But fuck, he was facing down a monster that was some kind of robotic zombie and he was alone. He knew he wouldn't be hearing from Mike anytime soon; it just meant their plan was working.

  _"Y-y-y-you...underESSStimate..."_

  He cringed. "If you weren't an asshole, I'd fix that for you."

  Its head tilted, grin widening into a horrible flash of teeth and...Mark covered his mouth and backed away. A skull. He's missed it before, but when Springtrap opened his mouth, he saw the jaw inside. But it was trembling, laughing, a horrible noise that Mark couldn't begin to describe.

  _"T-they put me...awaaaay. And yett, I...g-g-g-get to PLAyyy with them."_

  Who? Mark frowned, curious. But he cried out, covering his ears as a horrible noise of static burst from **everywhere**. He looked around. Springtrap was gone, he was alone, but the noise kept growing. Breathing hard, he checked the cameras. His knees grew weak.

  Something was dragging itself down the West Hall. It was some kind of...pile of metal. The static grew every time it used its arms to drag further. When it hit a light, the guard let out what may have been a sob. Jeremy had called it Mangle...and it was apparently heading for him.

  "Mike, Mike that dead fox thing is here and I, I thought it was dead?? But it's heading right for me!"

  _"Stay calm, stay calm. It can't get in. Keep checking the posters, I found the Marionette."_

  "Oka-IT JUST BURST THROUGH THE WALLS!"

  Mangle bore its teeth, revealing two sets. Its eyes were black, with glowing white iris' and it slid through the wall like it wasn't there. It climbed up on the ceiling, watching him. Mark fell to his ass, trying to make sure it couldn't reach him. Mike was yelling something, but the static drowned out everything.

  It lunged. Mark screamed, covering his face. He felt it collide into him, a burst of colors and sounds and feelings that weren't his crashing into him like a tidal wave. And then it was quiet. Not daring to breathe, he opened his eyes. He was alive...Mangle was gone. But when he tried to move, he gasped, looking down at his chest. It had bit him...not deep, but it had dragged its teeth through his skin from his breast clear around his body until it stopped at his shoulder blade. Whatever that thing was, it could hurt him...

  _"MARK? Are you there, Mark?!"_

  "...I'm alive?" Mark whispered back. He reached a shaking hand out, picking up his phone and the tablet. "I'm fucking alive. It can get through walls, Mike, I'm bleeding, it bit me. I really hope my scars look as good as Jeremy's do..."

  There was a pause. Mark almost smacked himself; he didn't deal with fear very well. _"Mark, Springtrap is the children's killer."_

  He squeezed his eyes shut. "Fuck..."

  _"We need to destroy him. But apparently, that's going to be pretty hard. It's completely welded into the suit, even I guess spiritually, I don't get it."_

  "What if we burned it?" Mark asked.

  _"That works but we can't burn down the building. So how the hell do we get it somewhere isolated?? This isn't going to be easy, especially if it's sicing dead animatronics on us."_

  He frowned, biting his lip. "If...if it's the killer, and he's obviously pissed...can't we do something to help him?" Mike let out a squawk. "I don't mean like forgiving it or something! He's not worth that. But he's stuck in limbo right? We could let him move on to hell."

  _"If you wanna try talk to it and getting a confession of guilt or something, go ahead. But I want it gone."_ Mike hissed.

  Odd...Mike seemed too soft for that. But then again, the other animatronics were his friends. And this thing had killed them, made them into what they are. It may have killed Jeremy. But Mark wanted to try. Pieces of what he knew weren't lining up properly and he had a feeling it wasn't from lack of knowledge.

  "...I'm going out there." Mark said.

  _"Mark don't you fucking dare, if you die-"_

  "Give me a good burial."

  Mark threw the phone and tablet down. He smacked open the door and ran for the Dining Room. He hesitated, a part of him reconsidering as the tablet turned to static and white noise. But he ran anyway.

  He missed the yellow bear peeking at him on the desk.

xxxxxx

  "That fucking idiot, I'll skin him alive!" Mike threw his phone, clutching at his hair. "We had a plan dammit."

  The Marionette eased itself down to be eyelevel. "Michael. Despite their fear, the children must face him again. We did it before, when he put him into the suit. We must again. If we cannot face him and get closure, we shall never move on."

  "But how do I convince them when they’re hiding? They're afraid..."

  "Show them you are more important to them than their fear." The Marionette said.

  That seemed a little...assuming. But Mike nodded. He needed to sneak to the Show Stage then. But how would he do that when Springtrap was wandering the halls? Especially if he could use Mangle's dead body and turn it into...something. With Mark out in the pizzeria, any hope that he could talk to Golden Freddy was gone as well.

  "Be careful, Michael. If you die, then we lose everything."

  He sighed. "No pressure then..."

  He could sneak around into the bathrooms. If Springtrap was there, then he could lock the doors, maybe a stall, and get around him. He sighed and began pulling at his hair. He took a moment to calm down his heart and his breathing. He needed to be prepared for this.

  "I'll...see you later." He said. He hoped he wasn't lying.

  The Marionette watched him go. He shut off the lights, covering his phone slightly to use it as a light. He couldn't hear anything like Springtrap nearby, so he seemed okay. Still, he inched out carefully. Odds were the animatronic wasn't even looking for him, rather hunting down Mark. The thought made him feel ill.

   It was too quiet. It felt like his heart was in his throat as he tried to breathe. He pushed his back against the wall and creeped slowly towards the bathroom. Luckily he had the tables around to hopefully hide him from view.

  He was about to duck into the bathroom hall when he froze. He smelled it before hearing something moving around. He peered around the wall, nearly throwing himself back when he saw Springtrap. The bunny was near the safe room. Daring to try to get another look, Mike peeked again.

  It was looking around, maybe searching for them. But he kept wandering back near the safe room, almost like he wanted to go inside but didn't dare. Mike frowned. What was going on? Shouldn't it be looking for them? And why go into the safe room, where it'd been sealed for so long?

  "Hey!"

  Mike and Springtrap both jumped. Mark was near the stage, holding a flashlight. Mike briefly wondered where he'd gotten that, but then Springtrap was moving towards him. Fuck...And of course he needed to get there.

  "You try anything and I'll take you with me." Mark said, backing away. His voice waivered when the bunny didn't so much as flinch. "I don't know who you are, but either you move on or we gotta get rid of you."

  Why was he trying to reason with the zombie robot? Was this how Jeremy felt when he tried to reason with him? Mike got behind the wall separating the bathrooms from the dining area and went for the tool box. Everything was still scattered around the floor, making it near impossible to find anything. Out of desperation, he grabbed a heavy wrench.

  _"F-f-foolish boy."_

  "I hate to agree with it, but yeah. You're being an idiot." Mike said.

  Springtrap twitched, but otherwise ignored him. Mark glanced at him nervously. He had a blood stain on his chest, likely where Mangle had bitten him. After considering it, the bunny took another step forward.

  "Don't you think about it. Get any closer to him and I'll set this entire place on fire." Mike sneered. The robot paused. "I don't care if it takes us all with you. You don't deserve anything more."

  _"A-aw, you w-w-want to give me COMpany..."_ Springtrap shook violently. Mike winced when pieces of bolts and what may have once been flesh fell off of it. The rotting smell increased and his eyes watered. _"You're in ovER your head, boy. I-I-I'll remove it for you."_

  Mike opened his mouth before hissing, covering his ears. Static filled the room, too loud and grating against his brain. He tried to keep his eyes open; dangling from the ceiling Mangle hissed at him.

  _"Hello!"_

  The guard cried out when something latched on to his leg. Eyes wide, he looked down. Whatever it was, it was singed and moldly. It barely came to his knee. Its eyes were glowing like Mangle's and it let out a screech when he tried to kick it away.

  He fell over when the kid finally disappeared. It disintegrated in a burst of lights that made him dizzy. Mike groaned, trying to pick himself up only to freeze. Springtrap tilted its head down at him and when it saw Mike was looking, stepped on his arm.

  He screamed. It looked so broken; it shouldn't have been that heavy. But the animatronic grinned as the broken metal of its feet sliced through his skin. It even gave a laugh when it tried to move and pieces of it were too stuck into the guard's skin, ripping him open.

  "Mike..." Mark tried to move closer but the bunny screeched at him.

  "G-get....get the others..." Mike tried to talk. His throat felt swollen, and his vision was blurry. He must've been crying. "Hurry."

  The dark haired man hesitated. Likely about leaving him alone. But then he gave a jerky nod. He ran for the stage, and Mike wondered if Springtrap would follow. He let out a whimper when the robot instead reached for him, sharp fingers digging into his throat as he was hauled up to its' face.

  It smelled so much worse up close. Mike would've gagged if he wasn't struggling to breathe. His likely broken arm dangled uselessly at his side as the other tried to claw at Springtrap's arm. He wondered why the animatronics usually went for the throat. If he survived, he was going to have a long talk with them.

  _"Y-you remind me...offfffff someone."_ It said. Mike could only groan in response. _"H-he tried to act HIGh and mighty w-w-with me too."_

  "You're a psycho..." Mike hissed.

  Springtrap ignored him. _"H-he tried to make them see. T-t-tried to get me. But the neW Boyyy got bit and it was JUStttt what I needed. I gottttt away."_

  Bit? Mike couldn't believe it. Jeremy had worked with this thing? Then those kids really were killed during his time with the company. It was horrible to hear, to have confirmed what Jeremy had always worried about. Black dots began littering his vision; he tried to get in a breath of air but Springtrap's fingers tightened around his throat.

  _"Stop wigglingggg...Y-you want to see what I’ll do with your fRIEnddd?"_

  "You won't...touch him. He's smarter than you, and you'll be outnumbered if you t-try anything." The guard mumbled.

  _"Y-you think those brats can do anything to meee?"_ Mike frowned. Springtrap's voice was coming in clearer...why? _"I took them a-a-apart already. Even if they try to help YOUuuuu-"_

  A roar, too familiar and that sent warning bells through Mike's brain, ripped through the restaurant. The guard gasped when a brown blur tackled Springtrap; he fell to the ground, coughing and choking on the rush of air in his lunges. His vision turned purple as he tried to calm down, a metal hand on his back.

  "Hold still, Mike."

  Mark was wrapping a table cloth around his arm. Groaning, he tried to blink back the dots. Bonnie was holding him up, pressing his cold hands against his throat gently. Likely trying to get swelling down so he could breathe easier. Chica was on his other side; a tip of her finger was missing, and she was using her endoskeleton as a needle to sew him up with wires. It made him feel sick, but at least he wouldn't die of blood loss just yet.

  He wildly wondered why there was no pain. Nothing hurt at all right then; not the soreness of his throat or his arm, not even the likely diseases he was infected with from zombie bunny's rusted metal. Was this shock?

  "F-Freddy?"

  "Don't move, Mike, my sewing skills aren't the best." Chica said.

  He managed to laugh. "That's not...reassuring."

  "Can you breathe okay?" Bonnie asked him when he stopped coughing and wheezing. "We should get out of here. Freddy's dealing with things."

  "Go _where_? That thing used dead robots to attack us." Mark argued.

  They stopped when a crash rung through the room. Mike barely managed to turn his head. Freddy had been sent through a table, and was having trouble picking himself up. Springtrap looked on curiously, smugly. It was obvious which one was winning.

  _"I killed you b-brats with a knife and took you a-a-a-apartttt with an aaaxe. You think you c-can do anything to me when I'm like this?"_

  "What do we do with it??" Mark whispered. Chica finished her sewing and they wrapped the tablecloth tightly around the wound, just in case. "I really didn't think I'd ever witness a showdown between possessed robots."

  "All part of the joy of working at Freddy Fazbear's..." Mike mumbled.

  Mark ignored him. "Will your plan still work, Mike?"

  He frowned, trying to think clearly. "...we don't have the tablet...and the odds of getting Golden Freddy here are pretty low. We need to either lock him back in that room or destroy him."

  "Well, if you think we _can_ destroy him..." The other sounded nervous, watching as the huge bear animatronic's eyes bled to black.

  "Where's Foxy?" Mike asked suddenly.

  Bonnie frowned, looking at Chica. The yellow chicken sighed. "He's...trying to get through to Mangle. But it's not her anymore, not really."

  Right...Mangle was being used somehow. He frowned and tried to think. Was Springtrap so angry that he could use dead animatronics like that? Obviously yes, but _how_? The Marionette said they sealed him away. Obviously he was insane, but how would that anger pass over into this?

  "Wait...Springtrap."

  "Yeah, he's an asshole we got that." Mark said.

  Mike pulled himself up fully. "No, whatever he was! Before being fused. What was he?"

  "A retired suit. He was kept in a backroom, but he kept getting moved around...We replaced him a long time ago when he and Golden Freddy were retired." Chica explained.

  Replaced him? "Was he ever like you guys?"

  Chica looked confused. "What? I dunno, they were always hidden away. I guess he might have been..."

  "What are you getting at Mike?" Mark asked.

  "Whatever Springtrap was, I'm guessing it's pissed. There's no way a child killer could have enough power to do this shit..." Mike had to stop and breathe; something was definitely wrong with his throat. "B-but I don't understand why..."

  _"M-maybe they jusssst pissed me off too much."_ The guard tensed when Springtrap looked at him. Freddy growled at being ignored. _"How cute...you've got a LIttle rusted group you've collecteddddd...they can't help you. Once I dismantle them agAINnnn, you're next."_

  "Maybe you should pay more attention to the one trying t _o rip **your head off**._ " Freddy snarled.

  The animatronic bunny ignored him. It began moving towards them, grin widening when Bonnie moved in front of the two humans. Next to him, Chica began shaking, eyes bleeding into black. Mike took her hand.

  _"M-maybe I'll leave your eyes untOUChed. J-j-just so you can see what I do with them."_ Springtrap taunted the purple bunny.

  "Best ya back away from em!" Foxy ran into the room, hook flashing as he went to lunge at the bunny.

  Mangle dropped down from the rafters. The female fox snarled and tackled Foxy, sending both of them rolling. They hit the stage hard. Mike wanted to get up and help but the moment he went to move, Chica grabbed him.

  "Don't draw attention to yourself." She hissed at him.

  _"W-will the little chikad-dee come play TOOoo?"_

  She made a noise he'd never heard before. Mike remembering asking Foxy if the man that killed them had done anything to her. Scowling, the guard forced himself up despite both Mark and Chica trying to stop him. Springtrap grinned, and he could've sworn the face inside its mouth did as well.

  "Let me guess," He sneered. "Mommy didn't hug you enough?"

  Silence. It brought him a sickening kind of pride when the rusted animatronic growled, twitching and shaking. He'd managed to piss it off then. Good. The others didn't share his sentiment though since Freddy gave him a look.

  "Okay, not that then. Daddy didn't say he was proud enough? Touchy Uncle? One of those disapproving Aunts? Cuz I get the feeling you're one those guys that blames it all on other people. I just think we should open up to each other."

  "Mike, seriously, stop antagonizing the robot that's trying to kill us." Mark whispered.

  Mike ignored him. "Well? I thought you had some shit to spew at us."

  It was almost...less frightening this way. Seeing Springtrap fume and grit its teeth at him made it too human. Whatever was inside the suit had still been nothing more than a man. A coward that preyed on children. Feeling almost in control, Mike laughed.

  "You know, Freddy's scarier than you are. I mean, he beat you to the punch in trying to kill me. He got a score of a hospital visit. And Bonnie? I don't think you understand what you're getting into by trying to fight him."

  Chica stopped trembling. There was a roar; Mangle suddenly disappeared into the same burst of light. No longer distracted, Foxy let out a screech and leaped at Springtrap. The bunny let out an inhuman hiss and caught him by the jaw. Mike briefly reconsidered his idea of pissing it off when it took the fox's momentum and threw it aside, making Foxy collide painfully into Bonnie.

  _"I-I-I'll count how maAAANy VIRTabre a human ccccan live without before it f-f-finally stops moving."_ The animatronic growled.

  Okay. He had definitely made a mistake.

  Chica let out a metallic hiss when Springtrap began stalking towards them. It ignored her. It apparently only had eyes on him. Mike swallowed, backing away until his back hit the stage.

  "If, if you wanna help at any time Freddy I think we'd really appreciate it." Mark said nervously.

  Freddy was nearby, black eyes staring at Springtrap's back. But he had no way to attack. If he ran at the other animatronic, either humans were likely to get crushed. He was on his own then. Mike swallowed and moved to the side, away from Mark and Chica.

  "You suck at this opening up thing." He said.

  Could he outrun it? Springtrap could focus on him, and he'd make a break for the Security Room. If he could lock him out, he'd be exposed to one of the others. But there was the uncertainty; the robot seemed powerful enough to break the door down, and even if was twitchy, it was likely faster than him.

  Springtrap froze. Mike did as well, not sure what it was doing. But it let out a noise, vastly different than how it sounded before. It was like a whine, a quiet cry. He wondered if something in it had broken when a heavy paw fell on to Mike's shoulder, making him jump.

  **"Thank you, Michael. Move aside please."**

  He heard Mark grumble something but it flew over his head. Dazed, Mike nodded and moved aside as Golden Freddy took a wobbly step forward. He'd never seen it upright before. He seemed to be having trouble moving as his servos locked up randomly, twitching. And yet Springtrap didn't move, staring at him.

  **"Hello, Spring."**

  There was static, then, _"F-F-F-FREDDDDbeaar..."_


	12. Closure Is Sweet

  Mike didn't dare move. He wondered if they were going to start fighting too, because that wouldn't end up well for them; Golden Freddy could barely hold himself up. But Springtrap didn't move, watching the shorter animatronic as it wobbled closer. When the bear stumbled, it twitched like it wanted to help but didn't dare touch him.

  "Mike, you're bleeding again." Mark ran over, looking at the now pink tablecloth. "Sit down."

  He let the other man ease him down. He really needed something to drink. His throat felt like it might be swelling again, and it was so dry. He groaned as Mark unwrapped the cloth and heard him curse under his breath.

  "Bonnie, grab the first aid." Freddy ordered.

  The purple bunny ran out towards the kitchen. Mike watched him go. Everything was suddenly very hard to focus on. Mark had him against the stage, mumbling under his breath as he took Mike's temperature. The guard must've dozed off for a few seconds because when he opened his eyes, Bonnie was back.

  "Is he okay?" Chica asked.

  "Uh, well, he's about to hate me because I'm going to dump most of this alcohol on it, cuz I really think it's infected." Mark said.

  "S-someone might wanna hold me down here..." Mike mumbled.

  He felt Bonnie and Foxy doing just that. Chica was holding the first aid for Mark as the other man began getting the rubbing alcohol ready. Past them, the two gold animatronics hadn't moved, with Freddy standing close just in case. What were they doing?

  "Someone wanna...explain what's going on?"

  Foxy hushed him. "Don't git in the middle..."

  He opened his mouth to argue but Golden Freddy looked over at him. He froze. **"Do not worry, Michael. I am sorry things had gotten so out of hand."**

  He just had an extra paranormal ghost reassure him. If he wasn't fired, he was going to ask for a vacation after this. "I-it's okay..."

  The gold bear turned back to Springtrap. **"Spring, I'm sorry it took so long to find you."**

  The rotted bunny twitched violently again, like it was struggling. _"F-F-Fredbeaar....Howw howwww l-long?"_

  **"It's been over thirty years, I'm afraid."**

  Springtrap made a noise, almost like a wail. Despite himself, Mike felt sorry for it. The original Springtrap, Spring or whatever it was originally called, was still in there. What was it like? Was it anything like Bonnie, being almost too nice and compassionate? Was it more like Freddy and was prideful and strong? How much of itself had been lost to the murderer inside it?

  The gold bunny twitched and trembled, crashing down to its knees. Mike winced at the noise. Golden Freddy walked forward, worried, but Springtrap wailed again. The twitching didn't stop, pieces of it falling off to the ground.

  "Hold him tight, guys. Mike, deep breath." Mark suddenly said.

  Remembering what they had been about to do, the guard nodded and did so. He bit his lip tightly when the alcohol hit his arm. He sucked in a breath before letting out a cry as the sting grew and holy shit it hurt. He began breathing hard, grateful for Foxy and Bonnie holding him down.

  His vision went white. As it faded, he became aware that Mark was facing away from him, like he was shielding him. His eyes slowly looked up, seeing Springtrap far too close, looming over them. He really hoped that it wasn't about to attack them.

  "Get away from them." Freddy said. His voice was far too calm; a chill went down Mike's back.

  _"F-f-finally snap hi-hhhisssss n-neck, s-snAPPP hiiiisss N-NECkkkk-W-W-Welcome toootooo FreDDY Fazzbeaar's P-P-Pizza, r-r-remove his s-s-spine."_

  It was glitching. Mike swallowed, trying to get his vision to focus and ready to move again. The spirit was fighting against the animatronic; there had to be a way to get rid of it. Hopefully without destroying the animatronic since Golden Freddy would likely be very upset if something happened to Springtrap.

  **"You're stronger than him, Spring. He's already hurt you...he's made you do awful things. No more, Spring, you have to fight him."** Golden Freddy walked forward unsteadily, managing to get a paw on the taller robot's shoulder. **"I've looked and waited for you. Don't go away again."**

  The twitching came back. Springtrap hissed, an arm flailing and swiping at either Golden Freddy or Mark. He missed both as he let out a groan and his fingers gripped at his head. Mike felt a little nauseous when he saw it digging into holes in its own head. It fell again, this time to a knee as it let out a cry.

  Mike thought he might've panicked. Because Springtrap seemed to react only to Golden Freddy, and the murderer's spirit came forth when dealing with the rest of them. But he hated just sitting there, knowing he was the one that unlocked this thing. Whether it deserved sympathy or not, it had attacked them.

  "Do, do you like...singing?" He asked. Mark looked back at him, face pale and maybe horrified. "Do you sing for kids? Or, do you just play an instrument? Did you ever have any favorites?"

  The twitching stopped. It seemed to be thinking, maybe trying to remember. With how damaged it was, memories might be out of reach. _"S-s-sing...I, I singggg with, with FredBEAArrr. Togetherrr..."_ Its eyes dimmed briefly. _"N-noo, no-no-no favorittessssss...Mustt s-share..."_

  That seemed to be a good sign. Mike swallowed. "Don't you want to sing with him again?"

  _"S-s-sing, sing, singINGGG with F-Fredbeaar....?"_

  "Y-yeah. Be on stage again. Play with the children. If we could fix Foxy and get him back in the show, I'm sure we can do it for you. If you want."

  His eyes felt heavy. Blinking was becoming hard. But he gave a crooked smile when Springtrap looked at him, thinking about what he'd said. No one else dare say anything as the gold bunny thought. It made it worse for Mike since he knew he had a lot riding on how the animatronic responded.

  _"Singgg....with F-Fredbear..."_ His unbroken ear twitched. _"S-s-s-ing...for c-children..."_

  The others seemed to relax slightly. They could overcome the murder's spirit; they could get through to the animatronic. But Mike watched it carefully, not daring to look away. He was glad he didn't when Springtrap began twitching again, an odd chuckle coming off of it.

  _"Y-yes, plEASSSeee give me more children.You don't s-seem to underSTAAAANNNdddd-"_

  "Shut the fuck up and let Spring talk to us." The guard grumbled.

  He couldn't move when Springtrap gave a screech and lunged. Even though he very badly wanted to, he was too drained and dazed to even try to roll aside. He bit back a whimper when Freddy grabbed the gold animatronic and threw it aside.

  _"T-t-there is NOOooo h-him. There is n-no S-S-Spring. W-we aren't s-s-separate!"_ Springtrap picked itself up off the ground, jaw skew and revealing the horrible mummified jaw inside. _"It's us! It's ME!"_

  Freddy grabbed at it again. Springtrap hissed and used its longer arms to easily swipe the bear aside. Mike tried to pick himself up off the ground; he'd pissed the bunny murderer off, it would come for him. He needed to do something. Freddy made a frustrated noise and went to get up, but Springtrap grabbed his leg and tossed him further away before sprinting unsteadily towards Mike.

  Bonnie and Foxy were already up as Mark grabbed Mike and tried to get him to his feet. He vaguely heard the younger man say something about the office but the entire room was spinning. He could only lean against Mark as his arm was draped across his shoulders and they began moving away.

  _"Y-yOUUu don't g-g-get to leave."_

  Mike tried to look. The animatronics were made of the same stuff, they might even have an advantage since Springtrap was falling apart, but he worried about them getting hurt. Freddy was still on the floor, a segment of his leg cracked. And Bonnie and Foxy were keeping the gold robot busy with the purple bunny blocking it and Foxy using his speed to swipe at him and jump around out of his grip.

  Where was Chica? Mike tried to look, eyes going over her twice before finding her. She was running towards Freddy, trying to help him up. He wondered if she'd fight too, but hoped she didn't. He didn't want her to be forced to face whatever had happened to her. They seemed to be okay for now.

  Wait, he was missing one.

  He found Golden Freddy, still standing where he had been before despite the fighting. Mike assumed he couldn't move. The gold bear was watching Springtrap, looking so defeated. The guard felt heaviness in his chest. He wanted to help the children, and yet he couldn't help Golden Freddy. He wanted to give them closure and reunite the two old robots, but he couldn't.

  He was too busy watching the bear. Mike cried out when he was suddenly pushed, sprawling on to the tiled floor. The cry turned into a scream when his broken arm tried to take his weight before crumpling beneath him. Sobbing, the guard pushed himself up to see what had happened. Mark was several feet away, scrambling away from what looked like was a chair.

  Who had thrown a chair at them...? Pain blinded him as he tried to pick himself up. It was hard with one hand, and he had to fight the bile in his mouth. His stomach felt like it was in his throat. Panting, he got his eyes to focus and look up.

  He saw Springtrap's legs before a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

  He doubted his trachea could take another strangling from the killer robot. Turned out that Springtrap had no interest in choking him, as Mike felt his vision go black as he was slammed into something, which turned out was a table. He screamed again before the breath was forced from his lungs and he writhed in agony from his spine hitting the surface with so much force.

  "Mike!"

  He barely managed to open his eyes. It would've been funny to see Chica shoving Springtrap aside to help him sit up, even better when Bonnie grabbed the gold robot around the waist throwing him across the room. But then again, he was still struggling to breathe between a swollen throat and now with his diaphragm not working. The chicken tried to shake him awake as he groaned, finally able to breathe again.

  "Mike, are you okay??" She asked.

  "I, I think 'okay' is...pushing it..." He slurred out.

  He should've died months ago, he decided. If he had, maybe being shoved into a suit would've been painful, but he would've died quickly. Instead he was forced through all this agony because he'd fucked up how things should've gone so long ago in fighting against the homicidal animatronics.

  And then he shoved the thought away because if he really died tonight, in this amount of pain and this slowly, it was worth it. He'd made amazing friends, formed his own family because of it. So he took a moment to make sure nothing was broken and pushed himself up. He felt dizzy, well, dizzier than before, and had to take a moment to just breathe.

  "Mike, don't...you're already hurt." Chica grabbed his shoulders and tried to lay him back down.

  "I can tell. But he's going to keep coming, and we can't do anything against him, Chica." Mike gently removed her hands, amazed that she let him. "I wanted to heal you guys, but I can't. I'm sorry. I have to completely destroy that thing."

  Behind Chica, he saw Golden Freddy slump. He wished he could've reunited the two, let them be happy. But the longer they let Springtrap exist, the more it was obvious it couldn't happen. So he tried to ease himself off the table, seeing that it had a huge crack in it where they'd met, and took an uneasy step forward.

  The gold bunny was having trouble, it seemed. It kept twitching and shaking as it tried to push itself up to its feet. Ignoring it for now, Mike hobbled over to where Golden Freddy was watching his once partner, hesitating before he put a hand on the bear's arm.

  **"...forgive me, Michael. I had hoped maybe he just needed some repairs. I never thought he'd..."**

  "I know..." The guard whispered.

  Golden Freddy looked at him, his empty black eyes feeling too heavy on him. But then the bear fell, like its endoskeleton couldn't hold him anymore. **"We should've been scrapped years ago. Together. None of this would've happened if we had been. Despite knowing you don't owe me anything, Michael, please try to see that we are this time."**

  He hesitated. It would be like killing the animatronic himself, but...if he couldn't reunite the two friends, the least he could do is let them be destroyed together. He nodded slowly and Golden Freddy seemed to relax on the floor.

  _"N-noOo..."_

  Mike jumped. Springtrap was up on his feet again, dead eyes watching the gold bear closely. It seemed to be completely ignoring anyone else as it forced its body forward. The guard backed away when it fell to its knees and grabbed Golden Freddy's hand. They didn't say anything as Freddy, Foxy, Chica and Bonnie helped Mark and joined them. They had some damage, but nothing horrible at least.

  "Spring," Mike gently cut in. The bunny looked up at him slowly, guiltily. "You know you can't...be here anymore. I'm sorry..."

  _"...S-sssscrapped, scrapped? I, I have to be...s-s-scrapped..."_

 **"We've been long overdue, Spring...It's time we officially retired. Together."** The bear paused. **"And think well, yes, think as you are fighting...that a dark eye is watching you..."**

  Mike paused. He knew that tune too well, despite the way Golden Freddy's voice wavered and seemed to be unable to keep a constant volume.

  Springtrap made a noise, grip tightening on the others hand. _"Toreador, l-lovee...love i-i-is waiting for y-y-y-OUuu.."_

  The guard bit his lip. But the animatronics understood. Golden Freddy patted Springtrap's hand and the two shared a look. Mike felt like he was intruding on them. He jumped when the bunny stood up abruptly, wondering if the murder had taken over again.

  _"N-n-not together."_

  What? Mike frowned, since that was the animatronic's voice. But then Springtrap gripped at his head, fingers digging into the holes and broken pieces of the shell, and began pulling.

  "H-hey, what're you doing?" Mark went to step forward, but Freddy stopped him.

  There was a crack, ripping. Springtrap lifted his head up off the bottom section of his jaw, revealing the mummified skull inside, pierced with long steel beams and a horrible melding of human and robotic eyes inset into the eye sockets. Mike felt sick as he watched screws fall off of it. When the top part of the head seemed ready to be pulled off, Springtrap moved its hands to its neck.

  **"Spring, don't..."** Golden Freddy tried to get up, but his endoskeleton wouldn't support him.

  _"A-a-a-ll at once, w-w-w-we ARREeee silent..."_

  There was a sickening crack. Springtrap's eyes dimmed instantly as its head fell from its fingers, hitting the ground hard. Bits of bone broke off and there was a layer of dust around it. The body didn't move, the still somehow together endoskeleton holding itself up. Mike hesitated. It seemed...too fast. Too sudden. Springtrap was dead, had killed itself.

  After the long, horrible night, it was...over.

  **"...he was always so sensitive. I knew he'd never be able to handle what had happened, but I hoped..."** Golden Freddy picked up the head, holding it close. His eyes closed. **"We are silent...Oh, what is happening?"**

  "I'm sorry...If he had a choice; I know he would've stayed with you if he could." Mike whispered.

  "Then he's gone...?" Freddy was standing close to the other three, all of them staring at the still body. "I guess...we expected more, getting our closure."

  "You guys did kinda have a giant fight that broke most of the building." Mark pointed out.

  Mike wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe lights, of seeing souls leaving the bodies of the animatronics. Maybe ghosts, drifting away. But all that happened was them standing there, exhausted, in pain, and now knowing that they couldn't save everyone. The only hint that anything happened was when the five suddenly closed their eyes.

  "Are you okay?" Mark asked.

  "...th'kids be leavin..." Foxy whispered.

  The two guards shared a look. A vague crash came from the kitchen. Mike tensed, remembering that the Marionette was in there. But he couldn't hope to check on it. Any energy keeping him upright, likely a rush of adrenaline instantly faded. He wobbled before Mark caught him before he fell over.

  "Thank you, Mr. Schmidt." He heard Freddy say as his eyes slid closed. "And welcome, permanently, to the Fazbear family."

xxxxxxxxxxx

  "-that nasty, creepy ass shit away from him. He wakes up to that and I'll break your fucking neck."

  "It wanted to be here! You're going to rip it."

  "Good. Fucking thing haunted me for weeks, saw it in my dreams. Was horrible. And stop drinking all the goddamn water; he's going to be thirsty when we wakes up."

  Mike wondered what was going on. None of the animatronics talked like that...but the voice was familiar. A warm swelling hit him when he realized who it was. Maybe he was dreaming, but despite not even being awake yet, he smiled.

  "You look really fucking creepy, smiling like that, dude."

  Mike opened his eyes slowly. Jeremy was covered in bandages and he was paler than he'd ever seen him. But he was alive. Both he and Mark were in hospital gowns, the two had IVs hooked to them. Mark didn't seem that bad off though, maybe just looking tired, but Jeremy looked like he'd been to hell and back, covered in scabbing cuts, dark bruises and a lot of pink bandages. Apparently the two had been fighting over the Marionette, which lay lifeless on an extra chair.

  "H-how...?"

  Jeremy raised an eyebrow, snorting. "You don't think very highly of me do ya? You're an idiot. Who the fuck you think put Golden Freddy's endoskeleton together? The tooth fairy?"

  He had to pause and think. Golden Freddy had never been upright before because he couldn't be. Mike felt embarrassed when he had to blink rapidly, wiping away any stray tears. He'd been so sure...And even when he was hurt, Jeremy had saved his ass.

  "...I almost _was_ dead..." Jeremy sighed. "Got some sweet new scars. Seems to be a thing with this company. Anyway, zombie rustbucket dragged me outta there and began twitching, so I kicked it and ran. Remember how the assholes can't get into the safe room? I hid in there like a bitch."

  Mark gaped at him. Of course. He'd seen Springtrap wandering around there. He had been trying to get to Jeremy. "But...what about Golden Freddy?"

  "Well, when newbie decided to start screaming from the office, I knew something was up. So I had to pull myself from there to the office without getting caught. Course none of you were there, but Golden Freddy was."

  Well shit. Their plan worked. Mike glared at Mark who ducked his head sheepishly. "I didn't know!"

  "So Goldie tells me he needs to face Spring whatever and that his endoskeleton needs work. Fastest job I've ever done, and it was pretty shit. I kinda passed out in the office until the police woke me up the next day." Jeremy shrugged. "All three of us were rushed to the hospital. We almost lost you a few times, Mike."

  "Your arm had turned yellow...they were talking about amputating it, but...I guess it never got that bad." Mark said.

  Wow...he'd almost lost his arm? He glanced over, seeing it in a sling and a huge cast. He also felt a neck brace, but wasn't sure what exactly that was for. Swallowing, he laid back in bed. "So....are we fired?"

  Jeremy burst into laughter. Mike gave him a dry look, waiting impatiently for the blond to finally control himself. "N-nah, man. Newbie and I explained that killer bunny had forced itself from the room, and that it almost killed us all if the Fazfuck crew hadn't helped us out. Lansdale looked like he was going to off himself right there."

  "The CEO called us both separately. Said that they would be dealing with things, that they appreciated our silence, and that they expected us back to work once the hospital released us." Mark rolled his eyes. "So basically we'd best stay silent if we want our bills paid for."

  "Could just sue and get both." Jeremy sighed. "But whatever."

  Well...he still had a job then. Mike sighed. "And...and Springtrap?"

  He felt nervous when Mark refused to look at him. Jeremy heaved another sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well...it's not like we could hide what was inside it. Management freaked out, found the tapes. If I wasn't nearly dead I think they would've fired me. Anyway, my next project after fixing the others is putting the two back together."

  Two...? Mike sat up, gaping. "They're going to fix Springtrap?!"

  "Apparently having a dead guy inside him isn't a problem." Jeremy mumbled dryly. "I have to remove the remains, put him together and he and Goldiebear are getting a show."

  "We're not sure what'll happen...if he's going to be...sentient?" Mark frowned. "He might just be a robot..."

  Mike sighed. "Golden Freddy would hate that..."

  "Yeah but we all can't work around his shit. So once I get out of here, I get to pull out the remains and get him functioning again." Jeremy huffed and slowly got himself up unsteadily to his feet. "Newbie, mind giving me a hand?"

  Mark wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Mike swallowed again. "Uh, Jeremy...I'm glad you're okay."

  The blond chuckled. "Hey, someone's gotta make sure you don't fuck shit up right?"

  He began limping out with Mark's help. It was only once he was nearly out the door that Mike caught sight of the huge wrap of bandages around Jeremy's ankle. Any warmth or happiness the guard had drained instantly when he realized the engineer's left foot was completely gone.

  Mike laid back and couldn't find the strength to move for a long time.

xxxxxxx

  His arm had indeed been broken. He had a few hundred shots to sit through to combat whatever diseases Springtrap likely had from sitting in the backroom for years and years, also since he had a decayed dead guy in him. He'd scar, he had puncture marks from the wires Chica had sewn him up with, and he was to be careful about eating since his throat was still very sore.

  Mangle's bite marks had scarred as well. Mark didn't seem to mind so much, since they were out of the way. He was the first one released, and he came to visit every day to tell him and Jeremy about what was doing on. They'd cleaned up the restaurant and the animatronics could function but needed Jeremy's attention desperately. They also kept asking about them. They hadn't changed at all despite the absence of the child spirits.

  Jeremy seemed to have it the worst. Springtrap had ripped through tendons and muscles, forcing them to amputate from his lower calf. He had physical therapy to deal with once they were sure he was okay. The engineer seemed to shrug it off easily, but Mike noticed he'd get quiet sometimes and stare off at nothing.

  Recovery was slow. Mike was discharged next, and he promised Jeremy he'd come back with a burger or something since he kept complaining about not getting any decent food. Once he was out, Mike dragged himself to the pizza place.

  He got a few well wishes from waiters as he made his way through. The place was closing, and some of them tried to convince him to head home. Why would anyone rush back here after nearly dying? But Mike smiled and brushed it off, hoping that they never realized how ironic that statement was.

  The doors clicked locked and Mike was ambushed instantly as Bonnie jumped off the stage and hugged him.

  "You had us all worried! Guys, Mike's here."

  Mike patted Bonnie's shoulder. "H-hey, let me down. I'm okay, really..."

  The purple bunny set him down as Foxy ran out from the cove. The pirate tackled him, making the guard wheeze as he was hugged too tight and spun around.

  "Mike, ya scared us! We was convinced ya split on us."

  Mike groaned in response. He was grateful when Foxy stopped spinning and he was shoved back on his feet. Shaking his head, he saw Freddy glaring at the fox, who looked on sheepishly. Chica helped him steady himself.

  "Are you okay?" He asked.

  Freddy heaved a sigh. "Really, Mr. Schmidt, we should be asking _you_ that. Mr. Pliers explained to us what has been going on."

  "Jeremy be okay?" Foxy asked.

  The guard sighed. "Y-yeah, he's...doing better. I don't think it's hit him yet that he's...missing a leg. Um, but he'll be released soon so it's okay. He really can't wait to come back and get you guys fixed."

  "I think we can wait." Chica shrugged.

  Mike chuckled. Making a big show of reaching into his bag, he grinned when they all brightened up upon seeing his laptop and movies. "How about we ease back into things, hm?"

  "I call first pick!" Chica said.

  Freddy huffed. "Chica, I'm surprised by you." She winced, looking embarrassed. "Obviously I have much catching up to do with you three. I shall pick first."

  "Hardly, I be thinkin' I do." Foxy argued.

  Mike sighed. As the three argued, he leaned closer to Bonnie. "Wanna see how far we get into a movie before they notice?"

  "Sounds fun!"

  They didn't notice until the opening song went off. The five of them sat around the laptop and began watching. Freddy ignored the looks when he sang along, mumbling about overhearing the movie before. Mike felt relaxed as he sat there, letting them fight over the next movie with a roll of his eyes.

  They were the same. He still had his friends, his family, hidden away in this little pizzeria. Mike grinned when Chica announced that Mike had to pick himself and he pretended not to notice when Golden Freddy appeared on the stage and watched as well. Not for the first time, and definitely not for the last, he silently thanked Jeremy for breaking in that night, and letting him befriend the animatronics around him.

  He'd become the face of Freddy Fazbear's family.


End file.
